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CASTOR

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Publié le 24 novembre 2025

TRIPOLI-4 is endowed with the external tool CASTOR (Construction and Analysis of STOchastic Realizations), a random media Monte Carlo sampler that has been developed to generate three types of three-dimensional stochastic geometries [1]: isotropic and homogeneous Poisson tessellations, Poisson-Box tessellations, and three-dimensional spherical inclusions (non-overlapping spheres with packing-fraction up to about 0.67) in a background matrix. The spheres of the spherical inclusions can be either mono-dispersed (constant radius) or poly-dispersed (radius sampled according to a probability law).

castor.jpg

Examples of three-dimensional random media realizations sampled using CASTOR. Left: random spherical inclusions with mono-dispersed radii. Right: Markov media based on isotropic and spatially homogeneous Poisson tessellations with binary coloring.

For Poisson and Poisson-Box tessellations, a ‘coloring’ procedure is performed after the sampling of the cells of the skeleton geometry [2, 3]: each cell of the tessellation is assigned a color label 'c' with a probability p(c) , c = 1, …, n. The resulting stochastic configurations form isotropic or anisotropic random n-ary Markov mixtures (collections of material compositions whose geometrical shapes obey a given probability distribution), and provide convenient models to describe complex systems such as corium following severe accidents, or turbulent layers in fusion pellets [4].

For spherical inclusions, binary mixtures result from the sampling (the sphere and the background matrix), with a given packing fraction: such configurations might be used e.g. to model the fuel elements of HTR reactors [5]. Two models are available: either the Random Sequential Addition (RSA) with mesh-based acceleration, or the Jodrey-Tory (JT) algorithm.

For each of the available random media models, CASTOR samples an ensemble of M realizations, compatible with the format expected by TRIPOLI-4 (including the geometry, the boundary conditions, and the association between cells and material compositions). For each realization, a TRIPOLI-4 simulation is run and a set of observables is estimated. The histogram over the set of performed simulations allows computing the average and the dispersion of the sought results (the dispersion is due to both the variance of the underlying stochastic media and the statistical dispersion of the Monte Carlo simulations). Reference solutions for particle transport computed by taking an ensemble over a large collection of random media realizations can be used to benchmark results obtained with faster-homogenized models such as the Chord Length Sampling method [6-7].​


[1] C. Larmier, M.A. Kowalski, A. Zoia​, Proc. M&C23, Niagara Falls, Canada (2023).

[2] C. Larmier, E. Dumonteil, F. Malvagi, A. Mazzolo, A. Zoia​, Phys. Rev. E 94, 012130 (2017).

[3]  C. Larmier, A. Zoia, F. Malvagi, E. Dumonteil, A. MazzoloJ. Quant. Spectr. Radiat. Transfer 196, 270 (2017).

[4] G.C. PomraningLinear Kinetic Theory and Particle Transport in Stochastic Mixtures (World Scientific Publishing, River Edge, USA, 1991).

[5] S. TorquatoRandom Heterogeneous Materials: Microstructure and Macroscopic Properties (Springer-Verlag, New York, USA, 2013).

[6] C. Larmier, F.X. Hugot, F. Malvagi, A. Mazzolo, A. Zoia, J. Quant. Spectr. Radiat. Transfer 189, 133 (2017).

[7] A. Marinosci, C. Larmier, A. Zoia, Ann. Nucl. Energy 118, 406 (2018).