A Proposed Model to Describe the Relationship Between Online Burnup Assay and Economy and Safety of Pebble Bed Reactor

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yushi Tang ◽  
Liguo Zhang ◽  
Quiju Guo ◽  
Jianzhu Cao ◽  
Jiejuan Tong
Keyword(s):  
Unique Feature ◽  
Reactor Core ◽  
Fuel Cost ◽  
Pebble Bed ◽  
Pebble Bed Reactor ◽  
The Core ◽  
Proposed Model ◽  
Theoretical Hypothesis ◽  
Radioactive Release ◽  
The Relationship

Online burnup measurement is a unique feature for pebble bed gas-cooled reactor and the fuel balls undergo a multi-circulation on the basis of the online burnup assay. It is ascertained that the accuracy of the online burnup assay is related with the economy and safety of pebble bed reactor. In the economical perspective, the burnup assay accuracy allow some part of pebbles that are below the burnup limit in the orifice to be discharged out of the core. In the safety view, the burnup assay allow some part of pebbles in the reactor core to exceed the burnup limit. In this paper, a mathematical model is proposed to establish the relationship. The model is implemented based on some reasonable theoretical hypothesis, and the influence of assay accuracy on the reactor safety and fuel cost issues are discussed based on the simulated results given by different assay accuracy. It is ascertained that improvements on burnup assay accuracy could save the fuel cost and improve the PBR economical efficiency as well as reduce the probability of radioactive release due to over-irradiation and enhance the safe reliability of PBR. Further research on the burnup distribution of pebbles in and out of the core and the burnup assay model are expected to provide some implications on proposing reasonable requirements for accuracy of online burnup assay.

scholarly journals Research on Influence of Different Simulation Methods of Bypass Flow in Thermal Hydraulic Analysis on Temperature Distribution in HTR-10

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Shiyan Sun ◽  
Youjie Zhang ◽  
Yanhua Zheng
Keyword(s):  
Temperature Distribution ◽  
Reactor Core ◽  
Flow Distribution ◽  
Maximum Temperature ◽  
Flow Ratio ◽  
Hydraulic Analysis ◽  
Bypass Flow ◽  
Pebble Bed ◽  
The Core ◽  
Thermal Hydraulic Analysis

In pebble-bed high temperature gas-cooled reactor, gaps widely exist between graphite blocks and carbon bricks in the reactor core vessel. The bypass helium flowing through the gaps affects the flow distribution of the core and weakens the effective cooling of the core by helium, which in turn affects the temperature distribution and the safety features of the reactor. In this paper, the thermal hydraulic analysis models of HTR-10 with bypass flow channels simulated at different positions are designed based on the flow distribution scheme of the original core models and combined with the actual position of the core bypass flow. The results show that the bypass coolant flowing through the reflectors enhances the heat transfer of the nearby components efficiently. The temperature of the side reflectors and the carbon bricks is much lower with more side bypass coolant. The temperature distribution of the central region in the pebble bed is affected by the bypass flow positions slightly, while that of the peripheral area is affected significantly. The maximum temperature of the helium, the surface, and center of the fuel elements rises as the bypass flow ratio becomes larger, while the temperature difference between them almost keeps constant. When the flow ratio of each part keeps constant, the maximum temperature almost does not change with different bypass flow positions.

Multi-Radius Density Clustering Algorithm Based on Outlier Factor

2014 ◽  
Vol 472 ◽  
pp. 427-431
Author(s):  
Zong Lin Ye ◽  
Hui Cao ◽  
Li Xin Jia ◽  
Yan Bin Zhang ◽  
Gang Quan Si
Keyword(s):  
Clustering Algorithm ◽  
Spatial Clustering ◽  
Similar Process ◽  
The Core ◽  
Dbscan Algorithm ◽  
Proposed Model ◽  
Density Clustering ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
Core Points ◽  
The Relationship

This paper proposes a novel multi-radius density clustering algorithm based on outlier factor. The algorithm first calculates the density-similar-neighbor-based outlier factor (DSNOF) for each point in the dataset according to the relationship of the density of the point and its neighbors, and then treats the point whose DSNOF is smaller than 1 as a core point. Second, the core points are used for clustering by the similar process of the density based spatial clustering application with noise (DBSCAN) to get some sub-clusters. Third, the proposed algorithm merges the obtained sub-clusters into some clusters. Finally, the points whose DSNOF are larger than 1 are assigned into these clusters. Experiments are performed on some real datasets of the UCI Machine Learning Repository and the experiments results verify that the effectiveness of the proposed model is higher than the DBSCAN algorithm and k-means algorithm and would not be affected by the parameter greatly.

Combined CFD and DEM Simulations of Fluid Flow and Heat Transfer in a Pebble Bed Reactor

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiang Zhao ◽  
Trent Montgomery ◽  
Sijun Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
Fluid Flow ◽  
Discrete Element Method ◽  
Reactor Core ◽  
Turbulence Models ◽  
Discrete Element ◽  
Pebble Bed ◽  
Pebble Bed Reactor ◽  
Packing Structure ◽  
Dem Simulations

This paper presents combined computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and discrete element method (DEM) simulations of fluid flow and relevant heat transfer in the pebble bed reactor core. In the pebble bed reactor core, the coolant passes highly complicated flow channels, which are formed by thousands of pebbles in a random way. The random packing structure of pebbles is crucial to CFD simulations results. The realistic packing structure in an entire pebble bed reactor (PBR) is generated by discrete element method (DEM). While in CFD calculations, selection of the turbulence models have great importance in accuracy and capturing the details of the flow features, in our numerical simulations both large eddy simulation (LES) and Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) models are employed to investigate the effects of different turbulence models on gas flow field and relevant heat transfer. The calculations indicate the complex flow structure within the voids between the pebbles.

Research on Heat Transfer Characteristics of the Thermometric Sphere in HTR-10

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shiyan Sun ◽  
Youjie Zhang ◽  
Yanhua Zheng ◽  
Xiang Fang ◽  
Xiaoyong Yang
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
Thermal Equilibrium ◽  
Reactor Core ◽  
Fluid Temperature ◽  
Heat Transfer Characteristics ◽  
Pebble Bed ◽  
The Core ◽  
Temperature Measuring ◽  
Transfer Characteristics ◽  
Metal Wires

During the operation of the High Temperature Gas-cooled Reactor (HTGR), the hot-spot temperature in the reactor core must be lower than the maximum permissible temperature of the fuel elements and the materials of construction, so that the reactor kept safe. However, no fixed temperature-measuring devices can be set in a pebble-bed core. A special spherical temperature-measuring device is adopted to make sure it brings as small impact to the reactor operation as possible. There are several metal wires with different melting points inside. The graphite thermometric balls will be put onto the top of HTR-10 reactor core, and they record and reflect the highest temperature in different positions in the core when flowing in the pebble bed. Before the reactor core temperature-measuring experiment of HTR-10, we must study the heat transfer characteristics of the graphite thermometric sphere to find out the relationship of the melting conditions and the temperature in the reactor core. A 3-D model of the graphite thermometric ball is established, and CFD method is adopted to research and figure out the thermal equilibrium time and temperature difference between the metal wires in the ball and the hot fluid outside the balls. Multiple situations are simulated, and the heat transfer process of the thermometric sphere is comprehensively studied. The heat convection is certified the most important aspect. Thermal equilibrium can be achieved within 19 minutes, far shorter than the period while the spheres flowing through the core. The simulation results can also applied to derive the thermal fluid temperature backward.

scholarly journals Study on the effect of various burnable poisons on pebble bed reactor with OTTO fuelling schemes using Serpent 2 Monte Carlo code

2021 ◽  
Vol 927 (1) ◽  
pp. 012018
Author(s):  
Nicholas Sidharta ◽  
Almanzo Arjuna
Keyword(s):  
Power Density ◽  
Power Distribution ◽  
Reactor Core ◽  
Monte Carlo Code ◽  
Volumetric Fraction ◽  
Pebble Bed ◽  
Pebble Bed Reactor ◽  
Burnable Poison ◽  
Discrete Element Method Simulation ◽  
Upper Level

Abstract Pebble bed reactor with a once-through-then-out fuelling scheme has the advantage of simplifying the refueling system. However, the core upper-level power density is relatively higher than the bottom, producing an asymmetric core axial power distribution. Several burnable poison (BP) configurations are used to flatten the peak power density and improve power distribution while suppressing the excess core reactivity at the beginning of the burnup cycle. This study uses HTR-PM, China’s pebble bed reactor core, to simulate several burnable poison (BP) configurations. Serpent 2 coupled with Octave and a discrete element method simulation is used to model and simulate the pebble bed reactor core. It is found that erbium needs a large volumetric fraction in either QUADRISO or distributed BP to perform well. On the other hand, gadolinium and boron need a smaller volumetric fraction but perform worse in radial power distribution criteria in the fuel sphere. This study aims to verify the effect of BP added fuel pebbles on an OTTO refueling scheme HTR-PM core axial power distribution and excess reactivity.

Optimization of a Radially Cooled Pebble Bed Reactor

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Boer ◽  
J. L. Kloosterman ◽  
D. Lathouwers ◽  
T. H. J. J. van der Hagen ◽  
H. van Dam
Keyword(s):  
Pressure Drop ◽  
Temperature Profile ◽  
Flow Direction ◽  
Outer Region ◽  
Fissile Material ◽  
Fuel Temperature ◽  
Pebble Bed ◽  
Pebble Bed Reactor ◽  
The Core ◽  
Power Profile

By altering the coolant flow direction in a pebble bed reactor from axial to radial, the pressure drop can be reduced tremendously. In this case the coolant flows from the outer reflector through the pebble bed and finally to flow paths in the inner reflector. As a consequence, the fuel temperatures are elevated due to the reduced heat transfer of the coolant. However, the power profile and pebble size in a radially cooled pebble bed reactor can be optimized to achieve lower fuel temperatures than current axially cooled designs, while the low pressure drop can be maintained. The radial power profile in the core can be altered by adopting multi-pass fuel management using several radial fuel zones in the core. The optimal power profile yielding a flat temperature profile is derived analytically and is approximated by radial fuel zoning. In this case, the pebbles pass through the outer region of the core first and each consecutive pass is located in a fuel zone closer to the inner reflector. Thereby, the resulting radial distribution of the fissile material in the core is influenced and the temperature profile is close to optimal. The fuel temperature in the pebbles can be further reduced by reducing the standard pebble diameter from 6 cm to a value as low as 1 cm. An analytical investigation is used to demonstrate the effects on the fuel temperature and pressure drop for both radial and axial cooling. Finally, two-dimensional numerical calculations were performed, using codes for neutronics, thermal-hydraulics and fuel depletion analysis, in order to validate the results for the optimized design that were obtained from the analytical investigations. It was found that for a radially cooled design with an optimized power profile and reduced pebble diameter (below 3.5 cm) both a reduction in the pressure drop (Δp = −2.6 bar), which increases the reactor efficiency with several percent, and a reduction in the maximum fuel temperature (ΔT = −50 °C) can be achieved compared to present axially cooled designs.

The Re-Evaluation of the AVR Melt-Wire Experiment Using Modern Methods With Specific Focus on Bounding the Bypass Flow Effects

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carel F. Viljoen ◽  
Sonat Sen ◽  
Frederik Reitsma ◽  
Onno Ubbink ◽  
Peter Pohl ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gas Flow ◽  
Coupled System ◽  
Pebble Bed ◽  
Pebble Bed Reactor ◽  
Control Rod ◽  
Melting Temperatures ◽  
The Core ◽  
Computational Fluid Dynamics Cfd ◽  
Flow Effects ◽  
The Many

The AVR (Arbeitsgemeinschaft Versuchsreaktor) is a pebble bed type helium cooled graphite moderated high temperature reactor that operated in Germany for 21 years and was closed down in December 1988 [1]. The AVR melt-wire experiments [2], where graphite spheres with melt-wires of different melting temperatures were introduced into the core, indicate that measured pebble temperatures significantly exceeded temperatures calculated with the models used at the time [3]. These discrepancies are often attributed to the special design features of the AVR, in particular the control rod noses protruding into the core, and to inherent features of the pebble bed reactor. In order to reduce the uncertainty in design and safety calculations the PBMR Company is re-evaluating the AVR melt-wire experiments with updated models and tools. 3-D neutronics thermal-hydraulics analyses are performed utilizing a coupled VSOP99-STAR-CD calculation. In the coupled system VSOP99 [4] provides power profiles on a geometrical mesh to STAR-CD [5] while STAR-CD provides the fuel, moderator and solid structure temperatures to VSOP99. The different fuel histories and flow variations can be modelled with VSOP99 (although this is not yet included in the model) while the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code, STAR-CD, adds higher-order thermal and gas flow modelling capabilities. This coupling therefore ensures that the correct thermal feedback to the neutronics is included. Of the many possible explanations for the higher-than-expected melt-wire temperatures, flow bypassing the pebble core was identified as potentially the largest contributor and was thus selected as the first topic to study. This paper reports the bounding effects of bypass flows on the gas temperatures in the top of the reactor. It also presents preliminary comparisons between measured temperatures above the core ceiling structure and calculated temperatures. Results to date confirm the importance of correctly modelling the bypass flows. Plans on future model improvements and other effects to be studied with the coupled VSOP99-STAR-CD tool are also included.

Investigations on the Movement of Fuel Elements in the Core of a Pebble Bed Reactor

1969 ◽  
Vol 91 (2) ◽  
pp. 390-394
Author(s):  
D. Bedenig ◽  
C. B. v. d. Decken ◽  
W. Rausch
Keyword(s):  
Theoretical Model ◽  
Flow Behavior ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Experimental Equipment ◽  
Pebble Bed ◽  
Pebble Bed Reactor ◽  
The Core ◽  
Method Of Measurement ◽  
Fuel Elements ◽  
Type Fuel

For several years gas-cooled high temperature reactors have been developed in Germany, the main feature of which are their pebble-type fuel elements. The pebble bed is in the state of a continuous circulation process which is the reason for a series of nuclear and technical advantages. To make use of these advantages, comprehensive experimental studies on the flow behavior of a pebble bed were carried out. First, experimental equipment and the most successful method of measurement are described. Then typical results of parameter studies are reported as well as a theoretical model to calculate the pebble bed flow behavior. At last typical functions describing the flow behavior in the core of the THTR 300 MWe Prototype Reactor are reported.

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