Multi-objective optimization method for nuclear reactor radiation shielding design based on PSO algorithm

Abstract Radiation shielding with light weight is of significance for nuclear facilities, especially for mobile nuclear reactors. The design of radiation shielding is a complex multi-objective optimization problem. Due to the traditional methods rely on manual adjustment and human experience, which is inefficient and difficult to obtain the optimal shielding scheme, it is necessary to develop an automated shielding optimization design method. In our work, a multi-objective optimization method coupling PSO algorithm with the shielding calculation code ANISN is proposed, which is combined with verification calculations for optimized schemes by using MCNP. In order to evaluate the quality of the position of PSO particles, weighted linear combination (WLC) and Pareto front are used. The validation model is the shielding of the Savannah marine reactor. The results prove that the multi-objective optimization method is reliable and efficient for nuclear reactor radiation shielding design. The method can improve the quality of the shielding scheme.