Very high temperature reactor physics studies using a 3D neutronic / thermal-hydraulics coupling system for block type gas cooled reactors
- DEN/DANS/DM2S/SERMA/LCA, CEA Saclay, 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette Cedex (France)
The very high temperature reactor (VHTR) is one of the six projects selected in the Generation-IV nuclear power plant research program. The VHTR is a graphite-moderated, helium-cooled reactor with a once-through uranium fuel cycle. It is designed to be a high-efficiency power production system, flexible to adopt uranium/plutonium fuel cycle, minimize waste production and retaining the desirable safety characteristics offered by its modularity. The bundling of dispersed fuel made in coated particles and the graphite as moderator leads to special core physics. The strong neutronic and thermal-hydraulics spatial dependency is one of the most important consequences of this bundling. This paper is a contribution to VHTR core studies. It presents the improvements made on the neutronic and thermal-hydraulics coupling system of the French Atomic Energy Agency (CEA). Especially the use of spatial de-homogenization temperature model and the possibility to insert the operating and start-up control systems into the coupling model. In addition, it exposes some preliminary results of VHTR core depletion calculation. The paper discusses also the reflector thermal effect and the location of both neutronic and thermal hottest area during the fuel cycle and it is consequence on core safety. (authors)
- Research Organization:
- American Nuclear Society, 555 North Kensington Avenue, La Grange Park, IL 60526 (United States)
- OSTI ID:
- 22039618
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: PHYSOR-2006: American Nuclear Society's Topical Meeting on Reactor Physics - Advances in Nuclear Analysis and Simulation, Vancouver, BC (Canada), 10-14 Sep 2006; Other Information: Country of input: France; 10 refs.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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