Pronghorn: A Multidimensional Coarse-Mesh Application for Advanced Reactor Thermal Hydraulics

Novak, April; Carlsen, Robert W.; Schunert, Sebastian; Balestra, Paolo; Reger, David; Slaybaugh, Rachel; Martineau, Richard

doi:10.1080/00295450.2020.1825307

Cited by 52 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…The thermal-hydraulic model is simulated using MOOSE's incompressible fluid implementation in the Navier-Stokes module 73 and the Pronghorn coarse-mesh thermal hydraulics. 74 As shown in Fig. 8, the velocity field matches very well with solutions from other research.…”

Section: Iib5 Delayed Neutron Precursor Convection For Msrssupporting

confidence: 81%

Rattlesnake: A MOOSE-Based Multiphysics Multischeme Radiation Transport Application

et al. 2021

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Advanced reactor concepts span the spectrum from heat pipe-cooled microreactors, through thermal and fast molten-salt reactors, to gas-and salt-cooled pebble bed reactors. The modeling and simulation of each of these reactor types comes with their own geometrical complexities and multiphysics challenges. However, the common theme for all nuclear reactors is the necessity to be able to accurately predict neutron distribution in the presence of multiphysics feedback. We argue that the current standards of modeling and simulation, which couple single-physics, single-reactor-focused codes via ad hoc methods, are not sufficiently flexible to address the challenges of modeling and simulation for advanced reactors. In this work, we present the Multiphysics Object Oriented Simulation Environment (MOOSE)-based radiation transport application Rattlesnake. The use of Rattlesnake for the modeling and simulation of nuclear reactors represents a paradigm shift away from makeshift data exchange methods, as it is developed based on the MOOSE platform with its very natural form of shared data distribution. Rattlesnake is well equipped for addressing the geometric and multiphysics challenges of advanced reactor concepts because it is a flexible finite element tool that leverages the multiphysics capabilities inherent in MOOSE. This paper focuses on the concept and design of Rattlesnake. We also demonstrate the capabilities and performance of Rattlesnake with a set of problems including a microreactor, a molten-salt reactor, a pebble bed reactor, the Advanced Test Reactor at the Idaho National Laboratory, and two benchmarks: a multiphysics version of the C5G7 benchmark and the LRA benchmark.

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Section: Iib5 Delayed Neutron Precursor Convection For Msrssupporting

confidence: 81%

Rattlesnake: A MOOSE-Based Multiphysics Multischeme Radiation Transport Application

et al. 2021

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“…Pronghorn is a multidimensional, coarse-mesh, thermal-hydraulics (TH) code for advanced reactors. It serves the intermediate fidelity realm situated between detailed computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis and lumped system models [10]. The goal of Pronghorn is to resolve multi-dimensional effects while maintaining fast execution times on desktop and laptop computers.…”

Section: Pronghorn Overviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Development of Integrated Thermal Fluids Modeling Capability for MSRs

Fang

Nunez

et al. 2022

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The DOE Nuclear Energy Advanced Modeling and Simulation (NEAMS) program supports a full range of computational thermal fluids analysis capabilities and code developments for a broad class of light-water and advanced reactor concepts. The research and development approach under thermal fluids technical area synergistically combines three length and time scales in a hierarchal multi-scale approach. To demonstrate the feasibility and capabilities of a multi-scale thermal fluids capability using these codes, a key joint effort has been pursued to develop an integrated systemand engineering-scale thermal fluids analysis capability with the MOOSE-based codes, through integration of SAM and Pronghorn, both based on the MOOSE framework.

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“…Advanced formulations for the engineering scale can address these issues, but data from finerscale simulations are needed to build closure relationships. Such advanced formulations are being implemented in Pronghorn, [7][8][9] the engineering-scale platform of the COE. We note that finer-scale calculations are also needed to analyze local temperature peaking and fuel temperatures.…”

Section: Engineering-length Scalementioning

confidence: 99%

Cardinal: A Lower-Length-Scale Multiphysics Simulator for Pebble-Bed Reactors

et al. 2021

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This paper demonstrates a multiphysics solver for pebble-bed reactors, in particular, for Berkeley's pebble-bed -fluoride-salt-cooled high-temperature reactor (PB-FHR) (Mark I design). The FHR is a class of advanced nuclear reactors that combines the robust coated particle fuel form from high-temperature gas-cooled reactors, the direct reactor auxiliary cooling system passive decay removal of liquid-metal fast reactors, and the transparent, high-volumetric heat capacitance liquid-fluoride salt working fluids (e.g., FLiBe) from molten salt reactors. This fuel and coolant combination enables FHRs to operate in a high-temperature, low-pressure design space that has beneficial safety and economic implications. The PB-FHR relies on a pebblebed approach, and pebble-bed reactors are, in a sense, the poster child for multiscale analysis.Relying heavily on the MultiApp capability of the Multiphysics Object-Oriented Simulation Environment (MOOSE), we have developed Cardinal, a new platform for lower-length-scale simulation of pebble-bed cores. The lower-length-scale simulator comprises three physics: neutronics (OpenMC), thermal fluids (Nek5000/ NekRS), and fuel performance (BISON). Cardinal tightly couples all three physics and leverages advances in MOOSE, such as the MultiApp system and the concept of MOOSE-wrapped applications. Moreover, Cardinal can utilize graphics processing units for accelerating solutions. In this paper, we discuss the development of Cardinal and the verification and validation and demonstration simulations.

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Pronghorn: A Multidimensional Coarse-Mesh Application for Advanced Reactor Thermal Hydraulics

Cited by 52 publications

References 44 publications

Rattlesnake: A MOOSE-Based Multiphysics Multischeme Radiation Transport Application

Rattlesnake: A MOOSE-Based Multiphysics Multischeme Radiation Transport Application

Development of Integrated Thermal Fluids Modeling Capability for MSRs

Cardinal: A Lower-Length-Scale Multiphysics Simulator for Pebble-Bed Reactors

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