P1 approximation to the neutron transport equation: A widely used approximation to the neutron

transport equation relies on the assumption of a linear angular dependence of the neutron
angular flux and isotropic external volume sources, if any.

1
 (r )  J (r )  Q1 (r)
3
J (r )   a  (r )  Q0 (r ) 101\* MERGEFORMAT (.)
where the dependent variables are scalar flux and current vector

 (r )    (r, Ω ')dΩ '

4

J (r )   Ω '  (r, Ω ') dΩ '

4 202\* MERGEFORMAT (.)
With Fick’s Law, the diffusion equation in 1D becomes:

d d
 ( D( x) )   a ( x ) ( x)  S ( x),
dx dx 303\* MERGEFORMAT (.)
where scalar flux  , diffusion coefficients D( x) , reduction cross-section  a .

Source term:
1
S ( x)  v f ( x ) ( x )
keff
404\* MERGEFORMAT (.)

where v  2 E / m is neutron speed, fission cross-section f , .