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Sensitivity Analysis, Reduced-order Modeling, and Optimization of a Gas-Cooled Pebble Bed Reactor using Equilibrium-Core and DLOFC Performance

S&T Accomplishment Report ·
OSTI ID:3018309
This work presents and applies a workflow for performing design optimization on gas-cooled pebble-bed reactors. Based on previous research, a representative equilibrium core of a pebble-bed reactor and a depressurized loss-of-forced-cooling model are created. These applications are built using the Multiphysics Object-Oriented Simulation Environment (MOOSE), specifically utilizing Griffin, Pronghorn, and Bison. After defining design-related parameters and quantities of interest regarding reactor safety and efficiency, this multiphysics model is sampled using the MOOSE stochastic tools module. The result is a comprehensive dataset of configurations, enabling sensitivity analysis and the generation of reduced-order models. Subsequently, the dataset and reduced-order models are employed in an optimization study aimed at maximizing fuel utilization while adhering to safety and operational constraints. The optimization process leads to an improvement of fuel utilization by approximately 10\%, compared to engineering-judgment-based nominal conditions.
Research Organization:
Idaho National Laboratory (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Nuclear Energy (NE); USDOE Office of Nuclear Energy (NE)
DOE Contract Number:
AC07-05ID14517
OSTI ID:
3018309
Report Number(s):
INL/RPT-23-74336
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English