Reactor physics phenomena in additively manufactured control elements for the High Flux Isotope Reactor

Burns, Joseph R.; Petrovic, Bojan; Chandler, David; Terrani, Kurt A.

doi:10.1016/j.anucene.2018.02.003

Title: Reactor physics phenomena in additively manufactured control elements for the High Flux Isotope Reactor

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Abstract

Additive manufacturing is under investigation as a novel method of fabricating the control elements (CEs) of the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory with greater simplicity, eliminating numerous highly complex fabrication steps and thereby offering potential for significant savings in cost, time, and effort. This process yields a unique CE design with lumped absorbers, a departure from traditionally manufactured CEs with uniformly distributed absorbing material. Here, this study undertakes a neutronics analysis of the impact of additively manufactured CEs on the HFIR core physics, seeking preliminary assessment of the feasibility of their practical use. The results of the MCNP transport simulations reveal changes in the HFIR reactor physics arising from geometric and nuclear effects. Absorber lumping in the discrete CEs yields a large volume of unpoisoned material that is not present in the homogeneous design, in turn yielding increases in free thermal flux in the CE absorbing regions and their immediate vicinity. The availability of additional free thermal neutrons in the core yields an increase in fission rate density in the fuel closest to the CEs and a corresponding increase in neutron multiplication on the order of 100 pcm. The absorption behavior exhibited by the discretemore »« less

Authors:

Burns, Joseph R. ^[1]; Petrovic, Bojan ^[2]; Chandler, David ^[3]; Terrani, Kurt A. ^[3]

Georgia Inst. of Technology, Atlanta, GA (United States); Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
Georgia Inst. of Technology, Atlanta, GA (United States)
Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

Publication Date:: 2018-02-22

Research Org.:: Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

Sponsoring Org.:: USDOE Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) Program

OSTI Identifier:: 1423086

Alternate Identifier(s):: OSTI ID: 1547144

Grant/Contract Number:: AC05-00OR22725

Resource Type:: Accepted Manuscript

Journal Name:: Annals of Nuclear Energy (Oxford)

Additional Journal Information:: Journal Name: Annals of Nuclear Energy (Oxford); Journal Volume: 115; Journal Issue: C; Journal ID: ISSN 0306-4549

Publisher:: Elsevier

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

Subject:: 22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS; High Flux Isotope Reactor; Additive manufacturing; Monte Carlo; Neutronics

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                    Burns, Joseph R., Petrovic, Bojan, Chandler, David, and Terrani, Kurt A. Reactor physics phenomena in additively manufactured control elements for the High Flux Isotope Reactor.  United States: N. p., 2018. 
Web.  doi:10.1016/j.anucene.2018.02.003.

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                    Burns, Joseph R., Petrovic, Bojan, Chandler, David, & Terrani, Kurt A. Reactor physics phenomena in additively manufactured control elements for the High Flux Isotope Reactor.  United States.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anucene.2018.02.003

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                    Burns, Joseph R., Petrovic, Bojan, Chandler, David, and Terrani, Kurt A. Thu .  
"Reactor physics phenomena in additively manufactured control elements for the High Flux Isotope Reactor".  United States.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anucene.2018.02.003.  https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1423086.

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@article{osti_1423086,

  title        = {Reactor physics phenomena in additively manufactured control elements for the High Flux Isotope Reactor},

  author       = {Burns, Joseph R. and Petrovic, Bojan and Chandler, David and Terrani, Kurt A.},

  abstractNote = {Additive manufacturing is under investigation as a novel method of fabricating the control elements (CEs) of the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory with greater simplicity, eliminating numerous highly complex fabrication steps and thereby offering potential for significant savings in cost, time, and effort. This process yields a unique CE design with lumped absorbers, a departure from traditionally manufactured CEs with uniformly distributed absorbing material. Here, this study undertakes a neutronics analysis of the impact of additively manufactured CEs on the HFIR core physics, seeking preliminary assessment of the feasibility of their practical use. The results of the MCNP transport simulations reveal changes in the HFIR reactor physics arising from geometric and nuclear effects. Absorber lumping in the discrete CEs yields a large volume of unpoisoned material that is not present in the homogeneous design, in turn yielding increases in free thermal flux in the CE absorbing regions and their immediate vicinity. The availability of additional free thermal neutrons in the core yields an increase in fission rate density in the fuel closest to the CEs and a corresponding increase in neutron multiplication on the order of 100 pcm. The absorption behavior exhibited by the discrete CEs is markedly different from the homogeneous CEs due to several competing effects. Self-shielding arising from absorber lumping acts to reduce the effective absorption cross section of the discrete CEs, but this effect is offset by geometric and spectral effects. The operational performance of the discrete CEs is found to be comparable to the homogeneous CEs, with only limited deficiencies in reactivity worth that are expected to be operationally recoverable via limited adjustment of the CE positions and withdrawal rate. On the whole, these results indicate that the discrete CEs perform reasonably similarly to the homogeneous CEs and appear feasible for application in HFIR. In conclusion, the physical phenomena identified in this study provide valuable background for follow-up design studies.},

  doi          = {10.1016/j.anucene.2018.02.003},

  journal      = {Annals of Nuclear Energy (Oxford)},

  number       = C,

  volume       = 115,

  place        = {United States},

  year         = {2018},

  month        = {2}

}

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