Combining RAVEN, RELAP5-3D, and PHISICS for Fuel Cycle and Core Design Analysis for New Cladding Criteria

Alfonsi, Andrea; Mesina, George L.; Zoino, Angelo; Anderson, Nolan; Rabiti, Cristian

doi:10.1115/1.4035851

Title: Combining RAVEN, RELAP5-3D, and PHISICS for Fuel Cycle and Core Design Analysis for New Cladding Criteria

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Abstract

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has considered revision of 10 CFR 50.46C rule to account for the effects of burn-up rate in future analysis of reactor accident scenarios so that safety margins may evolve with the operation and reloading of the reactor as dynamic limits. In order to find these limiting conditions, both cladding oxidation and maximum temperature must be cast as functions of fuel exposure. It is computationally intensive to run a plant model through a long duration operational transient to the time of fuel reload, and this must be repeated for each reload until the time of the accident scenario. Moreover, fuel reload patterns may differ in many ways so that calculations with many different core configurations must be considered. To perform such new analyses in a reasonable amount of computational time with good accuracy, Idaho National Laboratory (INL) has developed new multi-physics tools by combining existing codes and adding new capabilities. The Parallel Highly Innovative Simulation INL Code System (PHISICS) toolkit for neutronic and reactor physics is coupled with the Reactor Excursion and Leak Analysis Program (RELAP5-3D) for the Loss of Coolant Accident (LOCA) analysis and RAVEN for the Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA) and margin characterization analysis.more »« less

Authors:

^[1]; Mesina, George L. ^[1]; Zoino, Angelo ^[2];

^[1];

^[1]

Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
Univ. La Sapienza, Rome (Italy)

Publication Date:: Wed Mar 01 00:00:00 EST 2017

Research Org.:: Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)

Sponsoring Org.:: USDOE Office of Nuclear Energy (NE)

OSTI Identifier:: 1470321

Report Number(s):: INL/JOU-16-40110-Rev000
Journal ID: ISSN 2332-8983

Grant/Contract Number:: AC07-05ID14517

Resource Type:: Accepted Manuscript

Journal Name:: Journal of Nuclear Engineering and Radiation Science

Additional Journal Information:: Journal Volume: 3; Journal Issue: 2; Journal ID: ISSN 2332-8983

Publisher:: ASME

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

Subject:: 22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS; 11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS; 97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING; RELAP5-3D; RAVEN; PHISICS; Probabilistic Risk Assessment; Equilibrium core configuration; peak clad temperature

Citation Formats


                    Alfonsi, Andrea, Mesina, George L., Zoino, Angelo, Anderson, Nolan, and Rabiti, Cristian. Combining RAVEN, RELAP5-3D, and PHISICS for Fuel Cycle and Core Design Analysis for New Cladding Criteria.  United States: N. p., 2017. 
Web.  doi:10.1115/1.4035851.

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                    Alfonsi, Andrea, Mesina, George L., Zoino, Angelo, Anderson, Nolan, & Rabiti, Cristian. Combining RAVEN, RELAP5-3D, and PHISICS for Fuel Cycle and Core Design Analysis for New Cladding Criteria.  United States.  https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4035851

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                    Alfonsi, Andrea, Mesina, George L., Zoino, Angelo, Anderson, Nolan, and Rabiti, Cristian. Wed .  
"Combining RAVEN, RELAP5-3D, and PHISICS for Fuel Cycle and Core Design Analysis for New Cladding Criteria".  United States.  https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4035851.  https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1470321.

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@article{osti_1470321,

  title        = {Combining RAVEN, RELAP5-3D, and PHISICS for Fuel Cycle and Core Design Analysis for New Cladding Criteria},

  author       = {Alfonsi, Andrea and Mesina, George L. and Zoino, Angelo and Anderson, Nolan and Rabiti, Cristian},

  abstractNote = {The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has considered revision of 10 CFR 50.46C rule to account for the effects of burn-up rate in future analysis of reactor accident scenarios so that safety margins may evolve with the operation and reloading of the reactor as dynamic limits. In order to find these limiting conditions, both cladding oxidation and maximum temperature must be cast as functions of fuel exposure. It is computationally intensive to run a plant model through a long duration operational transient to the time of fuel reload, and this must be repeated for each reload until the time of the accident scenario. Moreover, fuel reload patterns may differ in many ways so that calculations with many different core configurations must be considered. To perform such new analyses in a reasonable amount of computational time with good accuracy, Idaho National Laboratory (INL) has developed new multi-physics tools by combining existing codes and adding new capabilities. The Parallel Highly Innovative Simulation INL Code System (PHISICS) toolkit for neutronic and reactor physics is coupled with the Reactor Excursion and Leak Analysis Program (RELAP5-3D) for the Loss of Coolant Accident (LOCA) analysis and RAVEN for the Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA) and margin characterization analysis. Expansion of code capability was also necessary. For RELAP5-3D to process a single sequence of cores in a continuous run required modification of RELAP5-3D to restart a sequence of input decks, each with a slightly modified neutronics model or thermal-hydraulic flow region and culminating in an accident scenario. A new multi-deck input processing capability was developed and verified for this analysis. In conclusion, the combined RAVEN/PHISICS/RELAP5-3D tool is used to analyze a typical Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR).},

  doi          = {10.1115/1.4035851},

  journal      = {Journal of Nuclear Engineering and Radiation Science},

  number       = 2,

  volume       = 3,

  place        = {United States},

  year         = {Wed Mar 01 00:00:00 EST 2017},

  month        = {Wed Mar 01 00:00:00 EST 2017}

}

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