Coolant Channel Design for Additively Manufactured Reactor Cores

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Additive manufacturing (AM) methods are currently being explored for applications in nuclear reactors to make advanced reactors more efficient, safe, and reliable. The Transformational Challenge Reactor (TCR) program has explored AM for nuclear by designing a high-temperature gas reactor (HTGR) using an AM silicon carbide fuel form with uranium nitride–tristructural isotropic fuel. This work details the design process for the TCR fuel form’s coolant channels using computational fluid dynamics models with conjugate heat transfer. Additionally, this work discusses how these models were interfaced with other design teams, project milestones, and the agile design method used to mature the reactor design. The methodology deployed was able to create a channel design with lower maximum fuel temperatures and thermal stresses in the fuel form over traditional channel designs that can be manufactured subtractively. These results were achieved with only small manufacturing penalties. Results are discussed and presented on lessons learned for designing AM components for nuclear reactors. Finally, areas of opportunity are discussed for advanced design tools to further automate design activities and optimize reactors with fewer built-in assumptions.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1496-1516
Number of pages21
JournalNuclear Science and Engineering
Volume196
Issue number12
DOIs
StatePublished - 2022

Funding

This research was sponsored by the Transformational Challenge Reactor Program of the DOE Office of Nuclear Energy. This manuscript has been authored by UT-Battelle, LLC, under contract DE-AC05-00OR22725 with the US Department of Energy (DOE). The US government retains and the publisher, by accepting the article for publication, acknowledges that the US government retains a nonexclusive, paid-up, irrevocable, worldwide license to publish or reproduce the published form of this manuscript, or allow others to do so, for US government purposes. DOE will provide public access to these results of federally sponsored research in accordance with the DOE Public Access Plan (http://energy.gov/downloads/doepublic-access-plan). This research was sponsored by the Transformational Challenge Reactor Program of the DOE Office of Nuclear Energy. This manuscript has been authored by UT-Battelle, LLC, under contract DE-AC05-00OR22725 with the US Department of Energy (DOE). The US government retains and the publisher, by accepting the article for publication, acknowledges that the US government retains a nonexclusive, paid-up, irrevocable, worldwide license to publish or reproduce the published form of this manuscript, or allow others to do so, for US government purposes. DOE will provide public access to these results of federally sponsored research in accordance with the DOE Public Access Plan ( http://energy.gov/downloads/doepublic-access-plan ).

Keywords

  • Additive manufacturing
  • TCR
  • computational fluid dynamics
  • optimization
  • transformational challenge reactor

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Coolant Channel Design for Additively Manufactured Reactor Cores'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this