Abstract
Three research reactors with involute-shaped fuel plates are pursuing conversion from highly enriched uranium to low-enriched uranium fuel. Various core design and safety evaluation studies are essential to assess the feasibility of the conversion. The use of 3D computational multiphysics codes is being explored in these analyses and therefore they must undergo a thorough evaluation and quality assurance process due to their potential impact on nuclear safety. In the present study, the Cheverton and Kelley physical tests performed in the late 1960s to investigate the deflections of HFIR's outer plate under uniform pressure and temperature fields are simulated by employing commercially available computational codes, with the goals to (1) verify and validate the models and numerical solvers implemented in the codes for thermomechanical analysis of involute reactor plates and (2) to develop a benchmark computational test to evaluate future versions of existing software or newly developed computational codes. The results of the simulations showed good agreement with each other as well as against the Cheverton–Kelley experimental data. Some minor deviations were observed for a few multiphysics cases and their potential origins and impact on the analysis results is investigated in the paper. The validated models increase the confidence in using multiphysics codes to evaluate existing or new LEU designs.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 112334 |
| Journal | Nuclear Engineering and Design |
| Volume | 409 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Aug 1 2023 |
Funding
Oak Ridge National laboratory work was sponsored by the Office of Material Management and Minimization of the US Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration. This material is based upon work supported by the US Department of Energy, Office of Science, Basic Energy Sciences under contract number DE-AC05-00OR2272. Argonne National laboratory work was sponsored by the US Department of Energy Office of Material Management and Minimization in the US National Nuclear Security Administration Office of Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation under Contract DE-AC02-06CH11357. Oak Ridge National laboratory work was sponsored by the Office of Material Management and Minimization of the US Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration. This material is based upon work supported by the US Department of Energy, Office of Science, Basic Energy Sciences under contract number DE-AC05-00OR2272. Technische Universität München work was supported through a combined grant (FRM2023) from the Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF) and the Bayerisches Staatsministerium für Wissenschaft und Kunst (StMWK). The authors would also like to thank Julius Mercz for building the CAD model of the Cheverton–Kelley experimental set-up in SolidWorks. Technische Universität München work was supported through a combined grant (FRM2023) from the Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF) and the Bayerisches Staatsministerium für Wissenschaft und Kunst (StMWK). Argonne National laboratory work was sponsored by the US Department of Energy Office of Material Management and Minimization in the US National Nuclear Security Administration Office of Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation under Contract DE-AC02-06CH11357.
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| Julius Mercz | |
| US National Nuclear Security Administration Office of Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation | DE-AC02-06CH11357 |
| U.S. Department of Energy | |
| Office of Science | |
| Basic Energy Sciences | DE-AC05-00OR2272, FRM2023 |
| National Nuclear Security Administration | |
| Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung | |
| Bayerisches Staatsministerium für Wissenschaft und Kunst |
Keywords
- High performance research reactor
- Involute plates
- LEU conversion
- Multiphysics
- Thermomechanical modeling
- Verification and validation