Mesh generation technology for nuclear reactor simulation; barriers and opportunities

Mesh generation in support of nuclear reactor simulation has much in common with the requirements of other application areas, such as computational fluid dynamics (CFD). Indeed, fluid dynamics analysis of the coolant behavior inside the reactor core is an internal flow problem that requires the resolution of spatial and temporal variations in the flow caused by complex component configurations, fluids/structure interaction, turbulence, and thermal heating of the coolant. Typical concerns of meshing complex geometries; the use of hexahedral vs. tetrahedral elements, element geometric quality, mesh smoothness, use of anisotropic elements in the thermal boundary layer, etc., are all considerations important to the reactor meshing problem.Reactor meshing begins to become more specialized as the need to employ reactor simulation as a predictive design and safety analysis capability grows in importance. First, a predictive capability will require more precise physical models to be included, and these models will need to be supported by a computational science framework that will allow them to be accurately approximated both spatially and temporally during the reactor core analysis. Both the multiphysical nature of the composite reactor model and details of the physics algorithms themselves will place new requirements on the meshing process needed to support multidimensional reactor simulation. This article discusses the current state of meshing technology applied to reactor simulation and examines a set of issues that are important in the generation of high-quality reactor meshes today and in the future.     

A review of refractory metal alloys and mechanically alloyed-oxide dispersion strengthened steels for space nuclear power systems

Mechanical and thermo-physical properties of refractory metal alloys and mechanically alloyed (MA)-oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) steels are reviewed and their potential for use in space nuclear reactors is examined. Preferable refractory alloys for use in liquid metal and gas-cooled space reactors include Nb-1%Zr, PWC-11, Mo-TZM, Mo-xRe where x varies from 7% to 44.5%, T-111 and ASTAR-811C. These alloys are heavy, difficult to fabricate, and are not readily available. The advantages of the MA-ODS alloys are: (a) their strength at high temperatures (>1000 K), which decreases slower with temperature than those of niobium and molybdenum alloys; (b) relatively lightweight and less expensive; (c) low swelling and no embrittlement with exposure to high-energy neutrons (>0.1 MeV) up to 10²⁷ n/m²; and (d) high resistance to oxidation and nitration. The few data available on compatibility of MA-ODS alloys with alkali liquid metals up to 1100 K are encouraging, however, additional tests at typical temperatures (1000-1400 K) in space nuclear reactors are needed. The anisotropy of MA-ODS alloys when cold worked, and particularly rolled into tubes, should not hinder their use in space nuclear power systems, in which operation pressure is either near atmospheric or as high as 2 MPa, but joints weldability is an issue.