Journal Issue: Nuclear Energy and Technology
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Volume
2023-9
Number
2
Issue Date
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
2452-3038
Том журнала
Том журнала
Nuclear Energy and Technology
(2023-9)
Статьи
Публикация
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Evaluation of DNBR with neutronics calculation in LWR systems
(2023) Suhail, A. Kh.; Umasankari, K.
The heat flux in a Light Water Reactor (LWR) system is used to estimate the Departure from Nucleate Boiling Ratio (DNBR) of the system which is an important thermal hydraulic parameter for nuclear reactors from heat removal point of view. The DNBR signifies an operational safety limit i.e. the nuclear power plant has to be operated with sufficient margin from the specified DNBR limit for assuring its safety. The DNBR is evaluated using a thermal hydraulic analysis code using inputs from neutronics calculation. The present paper presents the evaluation approach of minimum DNBR (MDNBR) during standard neutronics calculation. The DNBR calculation is performed using a core physics analysis code and burnup variation of MDNBR is studied for the full cycle length. The results of calculation are presented using the equilibrium core of 2700 MWth/900 MWe Indian Pressurized Water Reactor (IPWR). The calculations are performed using VISWAM-TRIHEXFA code system. The few group lattice parametric library for IPWR is generated by lattice analysis code VISWAM. The core follow up calculation for the equilibrium core configuration has been performed using core analysis code TRIHEXFA. A first order thermal hydraulic feedback model has been introduced into the 3D finite difference core simulation tool TRIHEXFA. The critical heat flux calculation, required for estimation of DNBR, has been performed using W-3 Tong and OKB-Gidropress correlations implemented in TRIHEXFA.
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Coupled modeling of neutronics and thermal-hydraulics processes in LFR under SG-leakage condition
(2023) Khomyakov, Yu. S. ; Rachkov, V. I. ; Shvetsov, I. E.
The lead cooled reactor BREST-OD-300 is developing as a part of Russian federal project “PRORYV”. Two- circuit scheme is used in the reactor for heat removal. An inherent risk of two- circuit reactor is the potential danger of water steam ingression in the core in the case of large leakage in steam generator initiated, for example, Steam Generator Tube Rupture (SGTR).
Reactor power and temperature response on vapor penetration to the core is studied, but pressurization effects are not in the purview of the paper.
The 3D multi-physics (neutronics + thermal-hydraulics) UNICO-2F code was developed for study of SGTR accident. The code calculates unsteady 3D space dependent distributions of coolant velocity, pressure and temperature, space distributions of vapor concentration and heat release density in the core and 3D temperature distributions in the fuel pins.
Guillotine rupture of one tube in Steam Generator (SG) is considered as initial event of the accident.
It is shown that even with the most conservative assumptions reactivity insertion due to vapor ingress in the core causes small increase of power in level and as a result maximum cladding temperature continue to stay well below safe operation design limit in the entire transient.
Hypothetical option of simultaneous tube rupture in few SG belonging to different loops is also analyzed. It is demonstrated that even in the case of simultaneous large leak in two SG the transient stays mild and temperature in the core after two small oscillations is stabilized at acceptable level.
In the long term the analysis confirmed the high level of reactor self-protection against SGTR accident.
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Multiple usage of thorium-based fuel in a VVER-1000 reactor
(2023) Kazansky, Yu. A. ; Kushnir, N. O. ; Khnykina, E. S.
This paper considers the use of unconventional fuel in nuclear power reactors, using the example of a VVER-type unit, in order to find out the possibility of saving natural fissile uranium nuclei. Saving fissile uranium is one of the important tasks, the solution of which will give time for the development of a two-component nuclear power industry that will have no problems with fuel resources. However, at present, the reserves of cheap uranium can provide the existing level of global nuclear energy for only 80–100 years. The main components of this proposed fuel are 232 Th and fissile isotopes of uranium:235U (loaded) and 233U (produced from thorium). All the uranium isotopes and added 235U nuclei at the beginning of the campaign account for about 6% of the number of thorium nuclei and uranium isotopes. The abbreviated name of this fuel is TORUR-5.
To keep fissionable nuclei in the fuel cycle after the spent fuel is unloaded, it is envisaged that all the heavy nuclei will be returned back to the reactor after they have been cleaned from fission fragments, i.e., the fuel cycle will be closed. At the same time, the principle of annual movement of fuel assemblies (as they burn up) is the same as in the existing VVER-1000 reactors. Using the Serpent software, a reactor model was built, the composition and dimensions of which were close to the parameters of the VVER-1000 serial unit. The main results of calculations were the quantitative compositions of isotopes annually loaded into the reactor as well as the amounts of 235U and thorium added also annually. The analysis of the obtained results allowed us to make the following conclusions. The annual reloading of 235U during the computation period is required almost at a constant level and, in comparison with uranium fuel, is about half as much. This is feasible for the following reasons. Part of the fissions of 235U is replaced by the fission of 233U produced from 232Th. In addition, fissionable nuclei are kept in the closed Th-U fuel cycle. This is the first “advantage” of the proposed fuel. TORUR-5 requires uranium enriched to at least 90%, the cost of which is several times higher than that of 3–5% enriched uranium. But since much less highly enriched uranium is required, the cost of fuel for a TORUR-5-fueled VVER-1000 reactor is significantly lower. This is the second “advantage” of the proposed fuel. The negative characteristic of TORUR-5, which requires further investigation, is that, after the initial loading, several uranium isotopes appear in the returned fuel, the total radioactivity of which, according to estimates, exceeds the radioactivity of traditional 3–5% enriched uranium fuel by several thousand times. At the same time, the radioactivity of discharged spent conventional fuel exceeds the radioactivity of fresh fuel by millions of times, and this problem has been solved at NPPs both organizationally and technically. Therefore, it will be necessary to develop a technology for loading TORUR-5, taking into account the estimated radioactivity.
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Influence of the spatial grid type on the result of calculating the neutron fields in the nuclear power plant shielding
(2023) Nikolaeva, O. V. ; Gaifulin, S. A. ; Bass, L. P. ; Dmitriev, D. V. ; Nikolaev, A. A.
The paper considers the influence of the spatial grid type on the result of solving the equation of neutron transport in the nuclear power plant (NPP) shielding. Neutron fields were calculated in a realistic model of a liquid metal cooled fast neutron tank reactor with an integral equipment layout. Structured cubic and unstructured hexahedral grids (pmsnsys and FRIGATE codes) and unstructured tetrahedral and prismatic grids (RADUGA T code) are used. Limiting values of the group fluxes averaged over the material zones for refined grids have been obtained. It has been shown that the calculation results depend on the type of approximation for the curvilinear inner boundaries between the material zones rather than on the grid cell type (cube, hexahedron, tetrahedron, prism). Using “toothed” approximations for curvilinear boundaries leads to an increase in the area of the boundaries, as well as to the neutron flux refraction condition arising on them. These effects lead to an upward bias in the transport equation solution, and for all energy groups. Conclusion. When solving an equation of neutron transport in the NPP shielding by a grid technique, it is necessary to use grids other than leading to “toothed” approximations of the inner boundaries. Tetrahedral or prismatic grids, or grids of arbitrary hexahedrons can be recommended, as well as composite grids in which cubic cells are located inside the material zone, and hexahedron cells are located near the zone boundary.
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The role of nickel in forming a structure providing increased service properties of reactor structural materials
(2023) Maltsev, D. A. ; Frolov, A. S. ; Stepanov, N. V. ; Safonov, D. V. ; Кулешова, Евгения Анатольевна; Kuleshova, E. A.; Fedotov, I. V.
Nickel is an essential alloying element in steels used as structural materials in the most common nuclear power reactors of the VVER type. The paper considers reviews the results of structural studies of traditional and advanced materials of the vessels and internals of VVER-type reactors with high nickel contents in their compositions. It is shown that an increased nickel content (up to 5 wt.%) in the steels of VVER pressure vessels contributes to the formation of a more dispersed structure with a smaller size of substructural elements and an increased density of dislocations, as well as a higher volume density of carbide phases. The revealed features of the structure of the reactor pressure vessel steel with high nickel content have the prerequisites for improving the strength and viscoplastic properties due to the increased number of barriers both for the dislocation motion and brittle crack propagation. Using the example of materials for VVER internals, it is shown that the nickel content increased in them up to 25 wt.% contributes to an increase in the volume density of radiation defects (dislocation loops of various types) and radiation-induced phase precipitates (G-phase). As nickel increases from 10 to 25 wt.%, there is a tendency to reduce swelling, which contributes to less shape change of the components of the reactor vessel internals. At the same time, in the steel with the highest nickel content, the highest nickel content was found in the near-boundary regions of the matrix, which contributes to greater austenite stability and a lower probability of the formation of an embrittling α-phase. The data obtained in the work on the effect of nickel alloying on the steel structural phase state and service characteristics were used in the development of new materials for the vessels and internals of advanced reactors.