William K. Terry

Direct deterministic method for neutronics analysis and computation of asymptotic burnup distribution in a recirculating pebble-bed reactor

Abstract A new deterministic method has been developed for the neutronics analysis of a pebble-bed reactor (PBR). The method accounts for the flow of pebbles explicitly and couples the flow to the neutronics. The method allows modeling of once-through cycles as well as cycles in which pebbles are recirculated through the core an arbitrary number of times. This new work is distinguished from older methods by the systematically semi-analytical approach it takes. In particular, whereas older methods use the finite-difference approach (or an equivalent one) for the discretization and the solution of the burnup equation, the present work integrates the relevant differential equation analytically in discrete and complementary sub-domains of the reactor. Like some of the finite-difference codes, the new method obtains the asymptotic fuel-loading pattern directly, without modeling any intermediate loading pattern. This is a significant advantage for the design and optimization of the asymptotic fuel-loading pattern. The new method is capable of modeling directly both the once-through-then-out fuel cycle and the pebble recirculating fuel cycle. Although it currently includes a finite-difference neutronics solver, the new method has been implemented into a modular code that incorporates the framework for the future coupling to an efficient solver such as a nodal method and to modern cross section preparation capabilities. In its current state, the deterministic method presented here is capable of quick and efficient design and optimization calculations for the in-core PBR fuel cycle. The method can also be used as a practical “scoping” tool. It could, for example, be applied to determine the potential of the PBR for resisting nuclear-weapons proliferation and to optimize proliferation-resistant features. However, the purpose of this paper is to show that the method itself is viable. Refinements to the code are under way, with the objective of producing a powerful reactor physics analysis tool for PBRs.

Advanced Core Design And Fuel Management For Pebble-Bed Reactors

A method for designing and optimizing recirculating pebble-bed reactor cores is presented. At the heart of the method is a new reactor physics computer code, PEBBED, which accurately and efficiently computes the neutronic and material properties of the asymptotic (equilibrium) fuel cycle. This core state is shown to be unique for a given core geometry, power level, discharge burnup, and fuel circulation policy. Fuel circulation in the pebble-bed can be described in terms of a few well?defined parameters and expressed as a recirculation matrix. The implementation of a few heat?transfer relations suitable for high-temperature gas-cooled reactors allows for the rapid estimation of thermal properties critical for safe operation. Thus, modeling and design optimization of a given pebble-bed core can be performed quickly and efficiently via the manipulation of a limited number key parameters. Automation of the optimization process is achieved by manipulation of these parameters using a genetic algorithm. The end result is an economical, passively safe, proliferation-resistant nuclear power plant.

NGNP Point Design - Results of the Initial Neutronics and Thermal-Hydraulic Assessments During FY-03, Rev. 1

This report presents the preliminary preconceptual designs for two possible versions of the Next Generation Nuclear Plant (NGNP), one for a prismatic fuel type helium gas-cooled reactor and one for a pebble bed fuel helium gas reactor. Both designs are to meet three basic requirements: a coolant outlet temperature of 1000 °C, passive safety, and a total power output consistent with that expected for commercial high-temperature gas-cooled reactors. The two efforts are discussed separately below. The analytical results presented in this report are very promising, however, we wish to caution the reader that future, more detailed, design work will be needed to provide final answers to a number of key questions including the allowable power level, the inlet temperature, the power density, the optimum fuel form, and others. The point design work presented in this report provides a starting point for other evaluations, and directions for the detailed design, but not final answers.

Matrix Formulation of Pebble Circulation in the PEBBED Code

The PEBBED technique provides a foundation for equilibrium fuel-cycle analysis and optimization in pebble-bed cores in which the fuel elements are continuously flowing and, if desired, recirculating. In addition to the modern analysis techniques used in, or being developed for, the code, PEBBED incorporates a novel nuclide-mixing algorithm that allows for sophisticated recirculation patterns using a matrix generated from basic core parameters. Derived from a simple partitioning of the pebble flow, the elements of the recirculation matrix are used to compute the spatially averaged density of each nuclide at the entry plane from the nuclide densities of pebbles emerging from the discharge conus. The order of the recirculation matrix is a function of the flexibility and sophistication of the fuel handling mechanism. This formulation for coupling pebble flow and neutronics enables core design and fuel cycle optimization to be performed by manipulating a few key core parameters. The formulation is amenable to modern optimization techniques.

Development of a Nodal Method for the Solution of the Neutron Diffusion Equation in General Cylindrical Geometry

The usual strategy for solving the neutron diffusion equation in two or three dimensions by nodal methods is to reduce the multidimensional partial differential equation to a set of ordinary differential equations (ODEs) in the separate spatial coordinates. This reduction is accomplished by “transverse integration” of the equation.1 For example, in three-dimensional Cartesian coordinates, the three-dimensional equation is first integrated over x and y to obtain an ODE in z, then over x and z to obtain an ODE in y, and finally over y and z to obtain an ODE in x. Then the ODEs are solved to obtain onedimensional solutions for the neutron fluxes averaged over the other two dimensions. These solutions are found in regions (“nodes”) small enough for the material properties and cross sections in them to be adequately represented by average values. Because the solution in each node is an exact analytical solution, the nodes can be much larger than the mesh elements used in finite-difference solutions. Then the solutions in the different nodes are coupled by applying interface conditions, ultimately fixing the solutions to the external boundary conditions.

Modular Pebble-Bed Reactor Project: Laboratory-Directed Research and Development Program FY 2002 Annual Report

This report documents the results of our research in FY-02 on pebble-bed reactor technology under our Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) project entitled the Modular Pebble-Bed Reactor. The MPBR is an advanced reactor concept that can meet the energy and environmental needs of future generations under DOE’s Generation IV initiative. Our work is focused in three areas: neutronics, core design and fuel cycle; reactor safety and thermal hydraulics; and fuel performance.

Preliminary Investigation of an Optimally Scramming Control Rod for Gas-Cooled Reactors

A passively safe control rod for gas-cooled reactors is proposed. This Optimally Scramming Control Rod (OSCR) is lifted out of the core region by the core coolant and descends back into the core when the coolant flow is not sufficient for core cooling purposes or in the event of depressurization. It is shown that for the current design of the OSCR, the reactor can be operated under normal lower power conditions down to about 80% of total power. It is also shown that cold shutdown can be achieved with rods of sufficiently low mass to allow naturally passive operation of the concept.Copyright