Thèses sur le sujet « Neutronics and thermal-hydraulics coupling »

Le sujet de la thèse s'inscrit dans le cadre de la rénovation des outils et des méthodes de calculs appliqués aux accidents graves des Réacteurs à Neutrons Rapides refroidis au Sodium (RNR-Na). En particulier, on s'intéresse aux biais et conservatismes liés à la méthodologie de calculs de la phase primaire d'un accident grave. Pour évaluer les conséquences d'un accident de fusion du coeur d'un RNR-Na, une approche déterministe est généralement réalisée en considérant des hypothèses dites "best-estimate". Cette approche repose sur l'utilisation de codes informatiques pour simuler numériquement le comportement du coeur en conditions accidentelles.La phase primaire de dégradation concerne les évènements se produisant tant que les boîtiers inter-assemblages sont intègres. Les assemblages combustibles conservent alors une indépendance les uns par rapport aux autres. Pour cette raison, la simulation de la phase primaire repose sur une approche multi-canaux. Cette approche consiste à regrouper les assemblages semblables en classes d'assemblages appelés canaux. Le modèle thermo-hydraulique en canaux est couplé à un calcul neutronique pour évaluer le niveau de puissance et de réactivité au cours du transitoire accidentel. La méthodologie de calcul de la phase primaire d'un accident grave repose sur des hypothèses fortes en termes de modélisation neutronique et thermo-hydraulique. Après avoir identifié les principales sources d'erreur, la thèse a consisté à développer un nouvel outil de calcul pour la phase primaire en vue d'évaluer les biais et conservatismes méthodologiques
This project is dedicated to the analysis and the quantification of bias corresponding to the computational methodology for simulating the initiating phase of severe accidents on Sodium Fast Reactors. A deterministic approach is carried out to assess the consequences of a severe accident by adopting best estimate design evaluations. An objective of this deterministic approach is to provide guidance to mitigate severe accident developments and recriticalities through the implementation of adequate design measures. These studies are generally based on modern simulation techniques to test and verify a given design. The new approach developed in this project aims to improve the safety assessment of Sodium Fast Reactors by decreasing the bias related to the deterministic analysis of severe accident scenarios.During the initiating phase, the subassembly wrapper tubes keep their mechanical integrity. Material disruption and dispersal is primarily one-dimensional. For this reason, evaluation methodology for the initiating phase relies on a multiple-channel approach. Typically a channel represents an average pin in a subassembly or a group of similar subassemblies. Inthe multiple-channel approach, the core thermal-hydraulics model is composed of 1 or 2 D channels. The thermal-hydraulics model is coupled to a neutronics module to provide an estimate of the reactor power level.In this project, a new computational model has been developed to extend the initiating phase modeling. This new model is based on a multi-physics coupling. This model has been applied to obtain information unavailable up to now in regards to neutronics and thermal-hydraulics models and their coupling

Dans le contexte de la physique des réacteurs, l’analyse du comportement non stationnaire de la population neutronique avec contre-réactions dans le combustible et dans le modérateur se rend indispensable afin de caractériser les transitoires opérationnels et accidentels dans les systèmes nucléaires et d’en améliorer par conséquent la sûreté. Pour ces configurations non stationnaires, le développement de méthodes Monte-Carlo qui prennent en compte la dépendance en temps du système neutronique, mais aussi le couplage avec les autres physiques, comme la thermohydraulique et la thermomécanique, a pour but de servir de référence aux calculs déterministes.Ce travail de thèse a consisté à mettre en place une chaîne de calcul pour la simulation couplée neutronique Monte-Carlo, avec le code TRIPOLI-4, en conditions non stationnaires et avec prise en compte des contre-réactions thermohydrauliques.Nous avons d'abord considéré les méthodes cinétiques dans TRIPOLI-4, c'est-à-dire avec prise en compte du temps mais sans prise en compte des contre-réactions, en incluant une évaluation des méthodes existantes ainsi que le développement de nouvelles méthodes. Ensuite, nous avons développé un schéma de couplage entre TRIPOLI-4 et le code de thermohydraulique sous-canal SUBCHANFLOW. Enfin, nous avons réalisé une analyse préliminaire de la propagation des incertitudes au sein du calcul couplé sur un modèle simplifié. En effet, les fluctuations statistiques sont inhérentes à notre schéma de par la nature stochastique de TRIPOLI-4. De plus, les équations de la thermohydraulique étant non-linéaires, la propagation des incertitudes au long du calcul doit être étudiée afin de caractériser la convergence du résultat
One of the main issues for the study of a reactor behaviour is to model the propagation of the neutrons, described by the Boltzmann transport equation, in the presence of multi-physics phenomena, such as the coupling between neutron transport, thermal-hydraulics and thermomecanics. Thanks to the growing computer power, it is now feasible to apply Monte Carlo methods to the solution of non-stationary transport problems in reactor physics, which play an instrumental role in producing reference numerical solutions for the analysis of transients occurring during normal and accidental behaviour.The goal of this Ph. D. thesis is to develop, verify and test a coupling scheme between the Monte Carlo code TRIPOLI-4 and thermal-hydraulics, so as to provide a reference tool for the simulation of reactivity-induced transients in PWRs.We have first tested the kinetic capabilities of TRIPOLI-4 (i.e., time dependent without thermal-hydraulics feedback), evaluating the different existing methods and implementing new techniques. Then, we have developed a multi-physics interface for TRIPOLI-4, and more specifically a coupling scheme between TRIPOLI-4 and the thermal-hydraulics sub-channel code SUBCHANFLOW. Finally, we have performed a preliminary analysis of the stability of the coupling scheme. Indeed, due to the stochastic nature of the outputs produced by TRIPOLI-4, uncertainties are inherent to our coupling scheme and propagate along the coupling iterations. Moreover, thermal-hydraulics equations are non linear, so the prediction of the propagation of the uncertainties is not straightforward

In recent years, many computer codes, based on Monte Carlo methods or deterministic calculations, have been developed to separately analyze different aspects regarding nuclear reactors. Nuclear reactors are very complex systems, which require an integrated analysis of all the variables which are intrinsically correlated: neutron fluxes, reaction rates, neutron moderation and absorption, thermal and power distributions, heat generation and transfer, criticality coefficients, fuel burnup, etc. For this reason, one of the main challenges in the analysis of nuclear reactors is the coupling of neutronics and thermal-hydraulics simulation codes, with the purpose of achieving a good modeling and comprehension of the mechanisms which rule the transient phases and the dynamic behavior of the reactor. This is very important to guarantee the control of the chain reaction, for a safe operation of the reactor. In developing simulation tools, benchmark analyses are needed to prove the reliability of the simulations. The experimental measurements conceived to be compared with the results coming out from the simulations are really precious and can provide useful information to improve the description of the physics phenomena in the simulation models. My PhD research activity was held in this framework, as part of the research project Analysis of Reactor COre (ARCO, promoted by INFN) whose task was the development of modern, flexible and integrated tools for the analysis of nuclear reactors, relying on the experimental data collected at the research reactor TRIGA Mark II, installed at the Applied Nuclear Energy Laboratory (LENA) at the University of Pavia. In this way, once the effectiveness and the reliability of these tools for modeling an experimental reactor have been demonstrated, these could be applied to develop new generation systems. In this thesis, I present the complete neutronic characterization of the TRIGA Mark II reactor, which was analyzed in different operating conditions through experimental measurements and the development of a Monte Carlo simulation tool (relied on the MCNP code) able to take into account the ever increasing complexity of the conditions to be simulated. First of all, after giving an overview of some theoretical concepts which are fundamental for the nuclear reactor analysis, a model that reconstructs the first working period of the TRIGA Mark II reactor, in which the “fresh” fuel was not heavily contaminated with fission reaction products, is described. In particular, all the geometries and the materials are described in the MCNP simulation model with good detail, in order to reconstruct the reactor criticality and all the effects on the neutron distributions. The very good results obtained from the simulations of the reactor at low power condition -in which the fuel elements can be considered to be in thermal equilibrium with the water around them- are then used to implement a model for simulating the full power condition (250kW), in which the effects arising from the temperature increase in the fuel-moderator must be taken into account. The MCNP simulation model was exploited to evaluate the reactor power distribution and a dedicated experimental campaign was performed to measure the water temperature within the reactor core. In this way, through a thermal-hydraulic calculation tool, it has been possible to determine the temperature distribution within the fuel elements and to include the description of the thermal effects in the MCNP simulation model. Thereafter, since the neutron flux is a crucial parameter affecting the reaction rates and thus the fuel burnup, its energy and space distributions are analyzed presenting the results of several neutron activation measurements. Particularly, the neutron flux was firstly measured in the reactor's irradiation facilities through the neutron activation of many different isotopes. Hence, in order to analyze the energy flux spectra, I implemented an analysis tool, based on Bayesian statistics, which allows to combine the experimental data from the different activated isotopes and reconstruct a multi-group flux spectrum. Subsequently, the spatial neutron flux distribution within the core was measured by activating several aluminum-cobalt samples in different core positions, thus allowing the determination of the integral and fast flux distributions from the analysis of cobalt and aluminum, respectively. Finally, I present the results of the fuel burnup calculations, that were performed for simulating the current core configuration after a 48 years-long operation. The good accuracy that was reached in the simulation of the neutron fluxes, as confirmed by the experimental measurements, has allowed to evaluate the burnup of each fuel element from the knowledge of the operating hours and the different positions occupied in the core over the years. In this way, it has been possible to exploit the MCNP simulation model to determine a new optimized core configuration which could ensure, at the same time, a higher reactivity and the use of less fuel elements. This configuration was realized in September 2013 and the experimental results confirm the high quality of the work done. The results of this Ph.D. thesis highlight that it is possible to implement analysis tools -ranging from Monte Carlo simulations to the fuel burnup time evolution software, from neutron activation measurements to the Bayesian statistical analysis of flux spectra, and from temperature measurements to thermal-hydraulic models-, which can be appropriately exploited to describe and comprehend the complex mechanisms ruling the operation of a nuclear reactor. Particularly, it was demonstrated the effectiveness and the reliability of these tools in the case of an experimental reactor, where it was possible to collect many precious data to perform benchmark analyses. Therefore, for as these tools have been developed and implemented, they can be used to analyze other reactors and, possibly, to project and develop new generation systems, which will allow to decrease the production of high-level nuclear waste and to exploit the nuclear fuel with improved efficiency.

Advanced computational tools are applied to simulate a nuclear power plant (NPP) control rod assembly ejection (CRE) accident. The impact of these reactivity-initiated accidents (RIAs) on core reactivity behavior, 3D power distribution and stochastic reactivity estimation are evaluated. The three tools used are: the thermal-hydraulic (TH) RELAP5 (R5) code, the neutronic (NK) PARCS (P3D) code, and the coupled version P3D/R5, with specially developed linkage using the environment code MATLAB. This study considers three different-size cores: NPP1 (2772 MWt); NPP2 (530 MWt); and NPP3 (1061 MWt). The three cores have the same general design and control rod assembly (CRA) positions, and the ejected CRA has similar worth and at the same rod ejection pace. The CRE is assessed under both hot zero power (HZP) and hot full power (HFP) conditions. The analyses indicate that RIA modeling and simulation should be carried out through a systematic coding and configuration approaches, otherwise the results will not capture the true transient behavior of the core under analysis. The simulation of one code depends on the appropriate configuration of parameters generated by the other code and on the correct determination of the TH/NK mapping weight factors for the various mesh regions in each of the models. From the design point of view, the standalone codes predict milder magnitude of power and reactivity increase compared to the coupled P3D/R5 simulation. The magnitudes of reduced peak power and reactivity become larger as the core size shrinks. The HFP simulation shows that the three NPPs have the same transient peak value, but the post-transient steady power is lower for a smaller core. The HZP analysis indicates that the transient peak is lower for the smaller core, but the post-transient power occurs at the same level. The three-dimensional (3D) power distributions are different among the HFP and HZP cases, but do not depend on the size of the core. The results indicate: i) HFP: core power increases in the area surrounding the ejected rod/bank assembly, and this increase becomes lower as the NPPs shrinks however, the power is well-distributed after the transient; and ii) HZP: the area surrounding the CRA stays hotter, but the 3D peak assembly factor becomes lower, during and after the transients, as the NPPs shrinks. These features confirm that the smaller cores yield a safer response to a given inserted reactivity compared to larger cores. A stochastic extended Kalman filter (EKF) algorithm is implemented to estimate the reactivity based on the reactor power profile, after the addition of random noise. The inverse point kinetics (IPK) deterministic method is also implemented and the results of the application of EKF and IPK are compared to the P3D/R5 simulation. The following sophisticated strategies made the EKF algorithm robust and accurate: the system is modeled by a set of continuous time nonlinear stochastic differential equations; the code uses a time step directly based on the power measured and applies that to the model for online discretization and linearization; filter tuning goes automatically up from the first time step; and the state noise covariance matrix is updated online at each time step. It was found that the IPK reactivity has higher noise content compared to the EKF reactivity for all cases. Thus, the EKF presents superior and more accurate results. Furthermore, under a small reactivity insertion, the IPK reactivity varies widely from positive to negative values: this variation is not observed within the EKF. A sensitivity analysis for three distinct standard deviation (SD) noise measurements suggests that EKF is superior to IPK method, independent of the noise load magnitude. As the noise content increases, the error between the IPK and P3D/R5 reactivity also increases. A sensitivity analysis for five distinct carry-over effects of different random noise loads indicates that the random addition of different noise loads to the reactor power does not change the overall performance of both algorithms.
Este trabalho aplica métodos computacionais avançados para simular a ejeção de barras de controle (CRE) em uma planta térmica nuclear (NPP). São avaliados o impacto da ocorrência de acidentes iniciados por reatividade (RIAs) na reatividade total, na distribuição da potência em três dimensões (3D) e na determinação da reatividade. As ferramentas utilizadas são: o código termo-hidráulico (TH) RELAP5 (R5), o código neutrônico (NK) PARCS (P3D), a versão acoplada P3D/R5, e o ambiente computacional MATLAB. Este estudo considera três reatores nucleares de diferentes tamanhos: NPP1 (2772 MWT); NPP2 (530 MWt); e NPP3 (1061 MWt). Os três núcleos possuem projeto similar e idêntica posição dos grupos das barras de controle (CRA), além do mesmo valor de reatividade diferencial das CRA ejetadas e idêntica velocidade de ejeção. A ocorrência da CRE é avaliada sob condições de hot zero power (HZP) e de hot full power (HFP). As análises indicam que a modelagem e a simulação de RIAs devem ser realizadas sistematicamente, caso contrário os resultados não irão refletir o comportamento em regime transitório do núcleo. A simulação de um modelo em um código depende da apropriada configuração de parâmetros gerados pelo outro código e da determinação adequada do mapeamento TH/NK para as várias malhas dos modelos. Do ponto de vista de projeto, a utilização de códigos independentes resulta em cálculos de potência e reatividade conservadores em comparação com os resultados utilizando-se P3D/R5. Os picos de potência e de reatividade são menores à medida que o núcleo encolhe. A simulação em condições de HFP resulta em valores de pico de potência similares durante transitório para as três NPPs, mas a potência de pós-transitórios é menor para o menor núcleo. A análise em condições de HZP também indica que o valor máximo durante o transitório é menor para o menor núcleo, mas o pós-transitórios ocorre aos mesmos níveis de potência das demais NPPS. A distribuição de potência em 3D também apresenta resultados distintos para condições de HFP e HZP, mas tais resultados são independentes do tamanho do núcleo: i) HFP: há um aumento da potência do núcleo em torno da CRE, mas tal comportamento diminui para núcleos menores - no entanto, a potência é bem distribuída após o transitório; e ii) HZP: há aumento de potência na área do CRE, mas o pico de potência em 3D é menor durante e depois dos transitórios para núcleos menores. Tais características indicam que os núcleos menores respondem de forma mais segura quando da inserção de reatividade em comparação a reatores de maiores dimensões. O método estocástico de filtragem de Kalman estendido (EKF) foi codificado para estimar a reatividade com base no perfil de potência da NPP, após a adição de ruído aleatório. O método determinístico da cinética pontual inversa (IPK) também foi implementado e os resultados da aplicação dos algoritmos do EKF e IPK foram comparados com os resultados da simulação do P3D/R5. As seguintes estratégias, implementadas neste trabalho, possibilitaram a aplicação robusta e precisa do EKF: o sistema foi modelado por um conjunto de equações diferenciais não-lineares estocásticas de tempo contínuo; o algoritmo obtém o passo de tempo diretamente da potência medida e aplica-o ao modelo para a discretização e linearização online; o ajuste do filtro ocorre automaticamente a partir do primeiro passo de tempo; e a matriz de covariância do ruído no estado é atualizada online. Verificou-se que a reatividade calculada pelo método IPK possui maior nível de ruído quando comparada ao EKF para todos os casos estudados. Portanto, o EKF apresenta resultados superiores e mais precisos. Além disso, sob uma pequena inserção de reatividade, a reatividade calculada pelo método IPK varia consideravelmente de valores positivos para negativos: esta variação não é observada com o EKF. Uma análise de sensibilidade para três desvios padrão (SD) sugere que o algoritmo EKF é superior ao método IPK, independente da magnitude do ruído. Com o aumento da magnitude do ruído, o erro entre as reatividades calculadas pelo IPK e pelo P3D/R5 aumenta. A análise de sensibilidade para cinco ruídos aleatórios indica que a adição de ruído na potência do reator não altera o desempenho global de ambos os algoritmos.

El Generation IV International Forum (GIF) [1] es un programa internacional dedicado a apoyar, coordinar y dirigir las iniciativas de investigación y desarrollo encaminados a implementar las soluciones tecnológicas que caracterizarán a la siguiente generación de reactores nucleares. Estos reactores se caracterizaran por una gestión más eficiente del combustible nuclear, un incremento en las exigencias de seguridad y una alta competitividad económica. Con tales objetivos, GIF propuso una serie de diseños potencialmente capaces de alcanzarlos. Estos diseños son tecnológicamente muy distintos a las plantas nucleares comerciales actuales al utilizar neutrones de espectro rápido y consecuentemente refrigeración por metales líquidos. Estos nuevos diseños requieren el desarrollo y validación de herramientas computacionales capaces de simular el comportamiento de la planta tanto en fase estacionaria como en transitoria y por tanto sean aplicables en los procesos de diseño y licitación de dichas plantas. El objetivo de esta tesis es el de adaptar los códigos computacionales actuales aplicados a la simulación de reactores refrigerados por agua a reactores rápidos refrigerados por metales líquidos, tales como el sodio o el plomo y el desarrollo de modelos capaces de simular de una manera consistente el comportamientos de los sistemas ante determinados eventos que constituyen la base de diseño de la planta Para ello se adaptaran dichos códigos a la fenomenología específica de estos reactores, se desarrollaran modelos termo-hidráulicos y neutrónicos tanto unidimensionales como tridimensionales de los diseños propuestos y se validarán los resultados para demostrar su aplicabilidad. El trabajo incluye la implementación de correlaciones específicas para habilitar los códigos para el cálculo de la condiciones termo-hidráulicas de los refrigerantes así como la adaptación de los esquemas de acoplamiento termo-hidráulico-neutrónicos existentes a esta nueva tecnología.
Lázaro Chueca, A. (2014). Development, assessment and application of computational tools for design safety analysis of liquid metal cooled fast breeder reactors [Tesis doctoral no publicada]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/39353
TESIS

La conception du coeur d’un réacteur nucléaire est fortement multidisciplinaire (neutronique, thermo-hydraulique, thermomécanique du combustible, physique du cycle, etc.). Le problème est aussi de type multi-objectif (plusieurs performances) à grand nombre de dimensions (plusieurs dizaines de paramètres de conception).Les codes de calculs déterministes utilisés traditionnellement pour la caractérisation des coeurs demandant d’importantes ressources informatiques, l’approche de conception classique rend difficile l’exploration et l’optimisation de nouveaux concepts innovants. Afin de pallier ces difficultés, une nouvelle méthodologie a été développée lors de ces travaux de thèse. Ces travaux sont basés sur la mise en oeuvre et la validation de schémas de calculs neutronique et thermo-hydraulique pour disposer d’un outil de caractérisation d’un coeur de réacteur à neutrons rapides à caloporteur sodium tant du point de vue des performances neutroniques que de son comportement en transitoires accidentels.La méthodologie mise en oeuvre s’appuie sur la construction de modèles de substitution (ou métamodèles) aptes à remplacer la chaîne de calcul neutronique et thermo-hydraulique. Des méthodes mathématiques avancées pour la planification d’expériences, la construction et la validation des métamodèles permettent de remplacer cette chaîne de calcul par des modèles de régression au pouvoir de prédiction élevé.La méthode est appliquée à un concept innovant de coeur à Faible coefficient de Vidange sur un très large domaine d’étude, et à son comportement lors de transitoires thermo-hydrauliques non protégés pouvant amener à des situations incidentelles, voire accidentelles. Des analyses globales de sensibilité permettent d’identifier les paramètres de conception influents sur la conception du coeur et son comportement en transitoire. Des optimisations multicritères conduisent à des nouvelles configurations dont les performances sont parfois significativement améliorées. La validation des résultats produits au cours de ces travaux de thèse démontre la pertinence de la méthode au stade de la préconception d’un coeur de réacteur à neutrons rapides refroidi au sodium
Nuclear reactor core design is a highly multidisciplinary task where neutronics, thermal-hydraulics, fuel thermo-mechanics and fuel cycle are involved. The problem is moreover multi-objective (several performances) and highly dimensional (several tens of design parameters).As the reference deterministic calculation codes for core characterization require important computing resources, the classical design method is not well suited to investigate and optimize new innovative core concepts. To cope with these difficulties, a new methodology has been developed in this thesis. Our work is based on the development and validation of simplified neutronics and thermal-hydraulics calculation schemes allowing the full characterization of Sodium-cooled Fast Reactor core regarding both neutronics performances and behavior during thermal hydraulic dimensioning transients.The developed methodology uses surrogate models (or metamodels) able to replace the neutronics and thermal-hydraulics calculation chain. Advanced mathematical methods for the design of experiment, building and validation of metamodels allows substituting this calculation chain by regression models with high prediction capabilities.The methodology is applied on a very large design space to a challenging core called CFV (French acronym for low void effect core) with a large gain on the sodium void effect. Global sensitivity analysis leads to identify the significant design parameters on the core design and its behavior during unprotected transient which can lead to severe accidents. Multi-objective optimizations lead to alternative core configurations with significantly improved performances. Validation results demonstrate the relevance of the methodology at the predesign stage of a Sodium-cooled Fast Reactor core

Perhaps surprisingly, the largest experience in operating nuclear power plants has been in nuclear naval propulsion, particularly submarines. This accumulated experience may become the basis of a proposed new generation of compact nuclear power plant designs. In an effort to de-carbonise commercial freight shipping, there is growing interest in the possibility of using nuclear propulsion systems. Reactor cores for such an application would need to be fundamentally different from land-based power generation systems, which require regular refueling, and from reactors used in military submarines, as the fuel used could not conceivably be as highly enriched. Nuclear-powered propulsion would allow ships to operate with low fuel costs, long refueling intervals, and minimal emissions; however, currently such systems remain largely confined to military vessels. This research project undertakes computational modeling of possible soluble-boron-free (SBF) reactor core designs for this application, with a view to informing design decisions in terms of choices of fuel composition, materials, core geometry and layout. Computational modeling using appropriate reactor physics (e.g. WIMS, MONK, Serpent and PANTHER), thermal-hydraulics etc. codes (e.g. COBRA-EN) is used for this project. With an emphasis on reactor physics, this study investigates possible fuel assembly and core designs for civil marine propulsion applications. In particular, it explores the feasibility of using uranium/thorium-rich fuel in a compact, long-life reactor and seek optimal choices and designs of the fuel composition, reactivity control, assembly geometry, and core loading in order to meet the operational needs of a marine propulsion reactor. In this reactor physics and 3D coupled neutronics/thermal-hydraulics study, we attempt to design a civil marine reactor core that fulfills the objective of providing at least 15 effective full-power-years (EFPY) life at 333 MWth. In order to unleash the benefit of thorium in a long life core, the micro-heterogeneous ThO2-UO2 duplex fuel is well-positioned to be utilized in our proposed civil marine core. Unfortunately, A limited number of studies of duplex fuel are available in the public domain, but its use has never been examined in the context of a SBF environment for long-life small modular rector (SMR) core. Therefore, we assumed micro-heterogeneous ThO2-UO2 duplex fuel for our proposed marine core in order to explore its capability. For the proposed civil marine propulsion core design, this study uses 18% U-235 enriched micro-heterogeneous ThO2-UO2 duplex fuel. To provide a basis for comparison we also evaluate the performance of homogeneously mixed 15% U-235 enriched all-UO2 fuel. This research also attempts to design a high power density core with 14 EFPY while satisfying the neutronic and thermal-hydraulics safety constraints. A core with an average power density of 100 MW/m3 has been successfully designed while obtaining a core life of 14 years. The average core power density for this core is increased by ∼50% compared to the reference core design (63 MW/m3 and is equivalent to Sizewell B PWR (101.6 MW/m3 which means capital costs could be significantly reduced and the economic attractiveness of the marine core commensurately improved. In addition, similar to the standard SMR core, a reference core with a power density of 63 MW/m3 has been successfully designed while obtaining a core life of ∼16 years. One of the most important points that can be drawn from these studies is that a duplex fuel lattice needs less burnable absorber than uranium-only fuel to achieve the same poison performance. The higher initial reactivity suppression and relatively smaller reactivity swing of the duplex can make the task of reactivity control through BP design in a thorium-rich core easier. It is also apparent that control rods have greater worth in a duplex core, reducing the control material requirements and thus potentially the cost of the rods. This research also analyzed the feasibility of using thorium-based duplex fuel in different cases and environments to observe whether this fuel consistently exhibit superior performance compared to the UO2 core in both the assembly and whole-core levels. The duplex fuel/core consistently exhibits superior performance in consideration of all the neutronic and TH constraints specified. It can therefore be concluded from this study that the superior performance of the thorium-based micro-heterogeneous ThO2-UO2 duplex fuel provides enhanced confidence that this fuel can be reliably used in high power density and long-life SBF marine propulsion core systems, offering neutronic advantages compared to the all-UO2 fuel. Last, but not least, considering all these factors, duplex fuel can potentially open the avenue for low-enriched uranium (LEU) SBF cores with different configurations. Motivated by growing environmental concerns and anticipated economic pressures, the overall goal of this study is to examine the technological feasibility of expanding the use of nuclear propulsion to civilian maritime shipping and to identify and propose promising candidate core designs.

DYN3D is an best estimate advanced code for the three-dimensional simulation of steady-states and transients in light water reactor cores with quadratic and hexagonal fuel assemblies. Burnup and poison-dynamic calculations can be performed. For the investigation of wide range transients, DYN3D is coupled with system codes as ATHLET and RELAP5. The neutron kinetic model is based on the solution of the three-dimensional two-group neutron diffusion equation by nodal expansion methods. The thermal-hydraulics comprises a one- or two-phase coolant flow model on the basis of four differential balance equations for mass, energy and momentum of the two-phase mixture and the mass balance for the vapour phase. Various cross section libraries are linked with DYN3D. Systematic code validation is performed by FZR and independent organizations.

DYN3D is an best estimate advanced code for the three-dimensional simulation of steady-states and transients in light water reactor cores with quadratic and hexagonal fuel assemblies. Burnup and poison-dynamic calculations can be performed. For the investigation of wide range transients, DYN3D is coupled with system codes as ATHLET and RELAP5. The neutron kinetic model is based on the solution of the three-dimensional two-group neutron diffusion equation by nodal expansion methods. The thermal-hydraulics comprises a one- or two-phase coolant flow model on the basis of four differential balance equations for mass, energy and momentum of the two-phase mixture and the mass balance for the vapour phase. Various cross section libraries are linked with DYN3D. Systematic code validation is performed by FZR and independent organizations.

碩士
國立清華大學
核子工程與科學研究所
104
Molten salt reactor (MSR) is one of the generation IV reactor which fuel is liquid phase state of molten salt fluorides. MSRs are distinguished by the circulation of fluid fuel in and out of reactor cores, which provides unique advantages for innovative applications, such as fuel addition, fission products removal. However, these features complicate neutronics analyses because of online reprocessing and fuel mixing. The goal of this research is to establish the Neutronics and Thermal-Hydraulics coupled calculation procedures, and to take fuel depletion, circulation and reprocessing into consideration in stepwise neutronics simulations. The properties of system will converge in the steady state after a long-timed operation. With iterated neutronics and CFD simulations, the behavior of fluid dynamics, including velocity, power and temperature distributions for full core were known. The power and temperature distributions of the system eventually converged as iterations proceed. The circulation of molten salt is driven by buoyancy and gravity forces due to the change of fluid density at different temperatures. Under the prescribed condition, the feasibility of natural circulation in fuel cycle is supported An automatic calculation procedure was developed to analyze MSR operations with online reprocessing. Because of significant variations in temperature and energy distributions over the system, the whole molten loop was divided into several zones. The fuel composition of every zones should be mixed after depletion. After mixing the fuel, the fuel composition was adjusted by online reprocessing so that the k-effective in stepwise calculation was limited in control. Based on the converged temperature distribution of fuel in equilibrium, a fuel depletion analysis considering fuel circulation and reprocessing was performed to simulate a scenario of five years continuous operation of system.