Fully coupled multiphysics modeling of enhanced thermal conductivity UO 2 –BeO fuel performance in a light water reactor

Liu, R.; Zhou, Wei; Shen, Pei Kang; Prudil, Andrew A.; Chan, Paul K.

doi:10.1016/j.nucengdes.2015.10.019

Cited by 31 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…A width of 80°μm is considered to be the nominal gap size in this model. This section has used two different fuel systems, i.e., UO 2 -10% BeO and UO 2 , following the parameters setting in (Liu et al, 2015). The UO2-BeO fuel properties are shown in Supplementary Appendix S1.…”

Section: Modeling Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The model used in this work adopted a 2D axisymmetric plane with UO 2 -BeO fuel rod and Zircaloy-4 cladding (see Figure 1A). For the reason of the periodic boundary condition in the axial direction, a single pellet is chosen to represent all the pellets with a mapped mesh (see Figure 1B) (Liu et al, 2015).…”

Section: Implementation Of Models Model Geometrymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…COMSOL Multiphysics originated from the Toolbox of MATLAB, is a finite element analysis and simulation software that is good at coupling multiple physical fields described by the PDEs. Besides, some physical models of the UO 2 -BeO-Zircaloy fuel-cladding system have already been implemented (Liu et al, 2015) into the COMSOL Multiphysics finite-element platform.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Coupled Modeling and Simulation of Phase Transformation in Zircaloy-4 Fuel Cladding Under Loss-of-Coolant Accident Conditions

Lu¹,

Qian

Zhou

2021

Front. Energy Res.

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Under loss-of-coolant conditions, the temperature on fuel cladding will increase rapidly (up to 1000–1500 K), which will not only cause a dramatic oxidation reaction of Zircaloy-4 and an increase in hydrogen concentration but also cause an allotropic phase transformation of Zircaloy-4 from hexagonal (α-pahse) to cubic (β-phase) crystal structure. As we all know, thermophysical properties have a close relationship with the microstructure of the material. Moreover, because of an important influence of the phase transformation on the creep resistance and the ductility of the fuel rod, studying the crystallographic phase transformation kinetics is pivotal for evaluating properties for fuel rod completeness. We coupled the phase transformation model together with the existing physical models for reactor fuel, gap, cladding, and coolant, based on the finite element analysis and simulation software COMSOL Multiphysics. The critical parameter for this transformation is the evolution of the volume fraction of the favored phase described by a function of time and temperature. Hence, we choose two different volume fractions (0 and 10%) of BeO for UO2-BeO enhanced thermal conductivity nuclear fuel and zircaloy cladding as objects of this study. In order to simulate loss-of-coolant accident conditions, five relevant parameters are studied, including the gap size between fuel and cladding, the temperature at the extremities of the fuel element, the coefficient of heat transfer, the linear power rate, and the coolant temperature, to see their influence on the behavior of phase transformation under non-isothermal conditions. The results show that the addition of 10vol%BeO in the UO2 fuel decreased the phase transformation effect a lot, and no significant phase transformation was observed in Zircaloy-4 cladding with UO2-BeO enhanced thermal conductivity nuclear fuel during existing loss-of-coolant accident conditions.

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Section: Modeling Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Implementation Of Models Model Geometrymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Coupled Modeling and Simulation of Phase Transformation in Zircaloy-4 Fuel Cladding Under Loss-of-Coolant Accident Conditions

Lu¹,

Qian

Zhou

2021

Front. Energy Res.

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“…The increasing volume fraction of BeO resulted in decreased peak fuel temperature. Liu et al (2015) presented the development of modeling and simulation for enhanced thermal conductivity UO 2 -BeO fuel behavior in a light water reactor with a 2D axisymmetric geometry using CAMPUS code. The modeling results showed that the fuel temperature could be significantly lowered using the enhanced thermal conductivity UO 2 -BeO fuel.…”

Section: A Brief Overview On Uo 2 -Beo Fuel Developmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

BeO Utilization in Reactors for the Improvement of Extreme Reactor Environments - A Review

Qian

et al. 2021

Front. Energy Res.

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Ceramic material is one of the essential materials used in reactors. Beryllium oxide ceramics have good high-temperature radiation stability, high density, high strength, and thermal conductivity at high temperatures, and the price of beryllium oxide is relatively moderate. This makes it more suitable for use as a reflector, moderator, and dispersion phase fuel matrix in a reactor. In recent years, beryllium oxide has attracted widespread attention due to its high hardness, high resistivity, high thermal conductivity, high melting point, and high radiation resistance. Because of its excellent mechanical properties, beryllium oxide materials also have a long history in the field of nuclear energy. Reactor extreme environments have become a significant challenge for optimizing reactor operation and safety performance. The utilization of beryllium oxide can significantly alleviate extreme reactor environments. According to research, the coupling of beryllium oxide material can effectively improve nuclear fuels' thermal conductivity, such as uranium dioxide. Beryllium oxide also has good radiation resistance and neutron scattering properties, which increases its applications in nuclear energy. The article comprehensively reviews the BeO utilization approaches in reactors to improve extreme reactor environments for current reactor operation and future reactor design optimization.

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“…The enhanced thermal conductivity UO 2 -BeO composite fuel performance has been studied recently by Liu et al [14] through the development of computer models with augmented material properties. The model predicts significant reduction in fuel temperature, fission gas release and cladding strain, including a roughly 370 K reduction in fuel centerline temperature and a 66.7% reduction in fission gas release from UO 2 -13.6wt%BeO fuel case at fuel burnup of 600 MW*h/kg-U, thereby improving fuel margins.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multiphysics modeling of UO2-SiC composite fuel performance with enhanced thermal and mechanical properties

Liu

Zhou

Prudil

et al. 2016

Applied Thermal Engineering

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Fully coupled multiphysics modeling of enhanced thermal conductivity UO 2 –BeO fuel performance in a light water reactor

Cited by 31 publications

References 22 publications

Coupled Modeling and Simulation of Phase Transformation in Zircaloy-4 Fuel Cladding Under Loss-of-Coolant Accident Conditions

Coupled Modeling and Simulation of Phase Transformation in Zircaloy-4 Fuel Cladding Under Loss-of-Coolant Accident Conditions

BeO Utilization in Reactors for the Improvement of Extreme Reactor Environments - A Review

Multiphysics modeling of UO2-SiC composite fuel performance with enhanced thermal and mechanical properties

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