Project Details
Problem Statement
Several advanced reactor concepts are being developed in the US by industry and the US Department of Energy. Advanced reactors differ from the current fleet of light water reactors in their use of alternate coolants and materials to offer enhanced safety characteristics, manufacturing or deployment advantages, more efficient fuel usage, and/or potential improvements in economics. Thermal hydraulics assessments of potential reactor core designs are needed to optimize performance and assure safety.
Technical Approach
Thermal hydraulics assessment and optimization includes evaluations of fluid flow and heat transfer phenomena that occur as the coolant moves through the core fuel assemblies. Design assessments should address a number of design concerns including margins between operating conditions and thermal material limits, reduction of opportunities for thermal striping and material fatigue, and reduction of opportunities for flow induced vibration and material fretting. ORNL research supports the application of advanced computational fluid dynamics (CFD) methods, including statistical evaluations of simulation sensitivity and uncertainty, to these assessments.
Benefit
Robust and accurate CFD methods can reduce the need for costly series of large scale thermal hydraulics experiments to develop new designs and confirm their safety performance.
Sponsors
US Department of Energy, Office of Nuclear Energy
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