Automated Design and Optimization of Pebble-bed Reactor Cores

Journal Article · Thu Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 2010 · Nuclear Science and Engineering

DOI:https://doi.org/10.13182/NSE08-89· OSTI ID:983950

Gougar, Hans D; Ougouag, Abderrafi M; Terry, William K

We present a conceptual design approach for high-temperature gas-cooled reactors using recirculating pebble-bed cores. The design approach employs PEBBED, a reactor physics code specifically designed to solve for and analyze the asymptotic burnup state of pebble-bed reactors, in conjunction with a genetic algorithm to obtain a core that maximizes a fitness value that is a function of user-specified parameters. The uniqueness of the asymptotic core state and the small number of independent parameters that define it suggest that core geometry and fuel cycle can be efficiently optimized toward a specified objective. PEBBED exploits a novel representation of the distribution of pebbles that enables efficient coupling of the burnup and neutron diffusion solvers. With this method, even complex pebble recirculation schemes can be expressed in terms of a few parameters that are amenable to modern optimization techniques. With PEBBED, the user chooses the type and range of core physics parameters that represent the design space. A set of traits, each with acceptable and preferred values expressed by a simple fitness function, is used to evaluate the candidate reactor cores. The stochastic search algorithm automatically drives the generation of core parameters toward the optimal core as defined by the user. The optimized design can then be modeled and analyzed in greater detail using higher resolution and more computationally demanding tools to confirm the desired characteristics. For this study, the design of pebble-bed high temperature reactor concepts subjected to demanding physical constraints demonstrated the efficacy of the PEBBED algorithm.

• Research Organization: Idaho National Laboratory (INL)
• Sponsoring Organization: DOE - NE
• DOE Contract Number: AC07-05ID14517
• OSTI ID: 983950
• Report Number(s): INL/JOU-08-14800
• Journal Information: Nuclear Science and Engineering, Journal Name: Nuclear Science and Engineering Journal Issue: 3 Vol. 165; ISSN NSENAO; ISSN 0029-5639
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS
ALGORITHMS
BURNUP
DESIGN
DIFFUSION
DISTRIBUTION
FUEL CYCLE
GENETICS
GEOMETRY
NEUTRONS
OPTIMIZATION
PEBBED
PEBBLE BED REACTORS
PHYSICS
REACTOR CORES
REACTOR PHYSICS
RESOLUTION
high-temperature gas-cooled reactors
recirculating pebble-bed cores