A Pathway for the Development of Advanced Reactor Mechanistic Source Term Modeling and Simulation Capabilities

Planning Near-Term Tasks for the Development of Advanced Reactor Mechanistic Source Term Modeling and Simulation Tools

“…The report will be coordinated with respective modelers and industry stakeholders that may utilize this information in system, severe accident, or mechanistic source term analysis tools. The importance of "graphite dust" formation and transport to HTGR MST analyses has been highlighted previously [1] based on the effectiveness of carbonaceous compounds to absorb radionuclides. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the phenomenon of "graphite dust" formation in HTGR systems, due to friction between fuel pebbles and/or erosion of carbonaceous fuel or moderator matrices.…”

“…The near-term tasks that have been outlined and recommended recently [1] to resolve modeling gaps in mechanistic source term analysis of HTGRs are discussed below in more detail. The gaps are briefly reviewed and the recommended actions to close these technical gaps are discussed in the context of similar ongoing work, existing mod/sim tools within NEAMS or otherwise, and crosscutting areas of other DOE research programs.…”

“…As part of this effort, an MST mod/sim development pathway was developed in FY21 [1], which outlines the high-level objectives and near-term tasks necessary to achieve the project objectives. Since publication of the development pathway, Argonne and SNL have been addressing the "near-term tasks" outlined in the report.…”

“…The report structure follows that of ref [1] and is divided by advanced reactor type: High temperature gas reactor (HTGR), molten salt reactor (MSR) including fluoride salt-cooled high temperature reactor (FHR), and sodium fast reactor (SFR). Each section reviews the near-term tasks associated with the reactor type, current progress, and future plans.…”

State of Knowledge on Aerosols and Bubble Transport for Mechanistic Source Term Analysis of Molten Salt Reactors

“…To assist the advanced reactor industry, including liquid-fueled MSR vendors, the U.S Department of Energy (DOE) Nuclear Energy Advanced Modeling and Simulation (NEAMS) program is pursuing the enhancement of MST modeling and simulation capabilities. Previous efforts as part of this project have examined key needs and outlined high priority tasks to accomplish the long-term development goals of the program [1][2][3][4]. Establishing the current state of knowledge regarding fuel salt aerosol and bubble behavior, which is examined in the current work, was identified as a high priority development item for MSR designs.…”