Full-core coupled neutronic/thermal-hydraulic modelling of the EBR-II SHRT-45R transient

Abstract

SUMMARYDuring the last decade the European activities in the field of nuclear fission research include the design of fast reactors cooled by liquid metals. Within this framework, the Fast REactor NEutronics/Thermal-hydraulICs (FRENETIC) code is being developed at Politecnico di Torino over the last few years. It implements a full-core coupled neutronic/thermalhydraulic model of a liquid-metal-cooled fast reactor as relevant for two of the six options currently under study within the framework of the Generation-IV International Forum, namely the lead-cooled fast reactors and the sodium-cooled fast reactors. The code validation process involves the participation in a coordinated research project of the International Atomic Energy Agency, aiming at testing different computational tools against the shutdown heat removal tests performed many years ago in the sodium-cooled Experimental Breeder Reactor-II (EBR-II) at Argonne National Laboratory, USA. In this paper, results of the FRENETIC analysis of one of the transients considered in the project, the unprotected EBR-II shutdown heat removal test SHRT-45R, are presented and compared to the measurements, providing the first validation of the coupled neutronic/thermal-hydraulic features of the FRENETIC code.

Development and application of virtual nuclear power plant in digital society environment

“…China . Lately, a full‐core neutronic/thermal‐hydraulic coupled model was developed for the design of liquid metal–cooled fast reactor and was firstly validated by the sodium‐cooled Experimental Breeder Reactor‐II (EBR‐II) at Argonne National Laboratory with the unprotected EBR‐II shutdown heat removal test . Based on Super Monte Carlo program for nuclear and radiation simulation (SuperMC), a high‐fidelity integrated simulation system “digital reactor VisualBUS” has been carried out by Institute of Nuclear Energy Safety Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences/FDS Team (“FDS Team” for short below).…”

“…14 Lately, a full-core neutronic/ thermal-hydraulic coupled model was developed for the design of liquid metal-cooled fast reactor and was firstly validated by the sodium-cooled Experimental Breeder Reactor-II (EBR-II) at Argonne National Laboratory with the unprotected EBR-II shutdown heat removal test. 15 Based on Super Monte Carlo program for nuclear and radiation simulation (SuperMC), [16][17][18][19] a high-fidelity integrated simulation system "digital reactor VisualBUS" has been carried out by Institute of Nuclear Energy Safety Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences/FDS Team ("FDS Team" for short below). It is designed to develop systematic software for reactor design and safety evaluation and realize visualized design and assessment for whole processes, dynamic 3D operation simulation for whole space, high-fidelity prediction of global behavior with multiphysics coupling.…”

“…Based on the SuperMC and VisualBUS, the research of “virtual nuclear power plant Virtual4DS” has been initiated for R&D demand of advanced nuclear energy systems. Compared with the multiphysics coupling simulation of nuclear core system mentioned in Salah et al and Caron et al, virtual4DS is an integrated simulation platform for intelligent accident simulation and emergency decision in the whole environment of the nuclear power plant, deep coupling with digital society. Based on nuclear big data, it is designed with the following featured functions: reactor design and operation simulation, accident alert and process simulation, full‐scale radionuclide migration and environmental consequence assessment, intelligent decision making and nuclear emergency exercise simulation, and social risk assessment.…”