Numerical analysis for a molten salt reactor in the presence of localized perturbations

Molten salt reactors (MSRs) have seen a marked resurgence of interest over the past few decades, highlighted by their inclusion as one of the six Generation IV reactor types. The MSRs are characterized by using the fluid-fuel, so that their technologies are fundamentally different from those used in the conventional solid-fuel reactors. In this paper, the attention is focused on the behaviors of an MSR in the presence of localized perturbations caused by fissile precipitates and gas bubbles. A neutron kinetic model considering the fuel salt flow is established based on the neutron diffusion theory, which consists of two-group neutron diffusion equations for the fast and thermal neutron fluxes and six-group balance equations for delayed neutron precursors, and the group constants dependent on the temperature are calculated by the code DRAGON. In addition, the k-epsilon turbulent model is adopted to establish the flow and heat transfer. The thermo-hydraulic and neutronic models are coupled through the temperature, heat source and velocity. The effects of the localized perturbation on the distributions of power, temperature, neutron fluxes and delayed neutron precursors are obtained and discussed in detail. The results provide some valuable information for the research and design of this new generation reactor.     

The neutronics studies of a fusion fission hybrid reactor using pressure tube blankets

In this paper, a fusion fission hybrid reactor used for energy producing is proposed based on the situation of nuclear power in China. The pressurized light water is applied as the coolant. The fuel assemblies are loaded in the pressure tubes with a modular type structure. The neutronics analysis is performed to get the suitable design and prove the feasibility. The energy multiplication and tritium self-sustaining are evaluated. The neutron load is also cared. From different candidates, the PWR spent fuel is selected as the feed fuel. The results show that the hybrid reactor can meet the expected reactor core lifetime of 5 years with 1000 MWe power output. Two ways are discussed including burning the discharged PWR spent fuel and burning the reprocessed plutonium. The energy multiplication is big enough and the tritium can be self-sustaining for both of the two ways. The neutron wall load in the operating time is kept smaller than the one of ITER. The way to use the reprocessed plutonium brings low neutron wall load, but also brings additional difficulties in operating the hybrid reactor. The way to use the discharged spent fuel is proposed to be a better choice currently.     

Non-proliferation attributes of molten salt reactors

Molten salt reactors (MSR) have many non-proliferation attributes. They can operate on the thorium-uranium fuel cycle which protects the fissile material by the daughter products of the inseparable U-232. MSRs can completely fission all plutonium and HEU, and as desired, ‘convert’ them to U-233. This also results in high, and efficient resource utilization, while diminishing the plutonium stock. On line processing, when applied, could free the waste from all fissile material. The fuel in the reactor stays protected by the intense radiation of the fission products. Fuel can also be protected in the reactor as well as outside the reactor by denaturing with natural uranium. A wide variety of MSRs are available, from ‘once through’ minimum processing reactors to ones with fuel processing which can breed fuel for converters. MSRs are extremely safe and simple reactors with good economic potential.     

基于MCNP和ORIGEN的熔盐快堆燃耗分析计算

熔盐堆是6种第4代先进核能系统中唯一使用液态燃料设计的反应堆型,其堆芯一回路中循环流动的熔盐既是燃料,也是冷却剂。这一特征在省去燃料元件加工制造步骤的同时,也使得熔盐堆能进行在线处理和在线添料的操作。因此,传统固态反应堆燃耗分析程序不再适用于熔盐堆。本文以熔盐快堆(MSFR)为分析对象,基于物理分析程序MCORE(MCNP+ORIGEN),将上述熔盐堆特点考虑进去,开发出能进行熔盐堆燃耗分析的MCORE-MS。初步分析表明,233 U-started模式下,熔盐在线处理可有效降低堆芯熔盐中裂变产物的含量,提高中子经济性。MSFR运行过程中能够一直保持负的温度反应性系数。     

Molten salt related extensions of the SIMMER-III code and its application for a burner reactor

Molten salt reactors (MSRs) can be used as effective burners of plutonium (Pu) and minor actinides (MAs) from light water reactor (LWR) spent fuel. In this paper a study was made to examine the thermal hydraulic behaviour of the conceptual design of the molten salt advanced reactor transmuter (MOSART) [Ignatiev, V., Feynberg, O., Myasnikov, A., Zakirov, R., 2003a. Neutronic properties and possible fuel cycle of a molten salt transmuter. Proceedings of the 2003 ANS/ENS International Winter Meeting (GLOBAL 2003), Hyatt Regency, New Orleans, LA, USA 16–20 November 2003]. The molten salt fuel is a ternary NaF–LiF–BeF₂ system fuelled with ca. 1 mol% typical compositions of transuranium-trifluorides (PuF₃, etc.) from light water reactor spent fuel. The MOSART reactor core does not contain graphite structure elements to guide the flow, so the neutron spectrum is rather hard in order to improve the burning performance. Without those structure elements in the core, the molten salt in core flows freely and the flow pattern could be potentially complicated and may affect significantly the fuel temperature distribution in the core. Therefore, some optimizations of the salt flow pattern may be needed. Here, the main attention has been paid to the fluid dynamic simulations of the MOSART core with the code SIMMER-III [Kondo, Sa., Morita, K., Tobita, Y., Shirakawa, K., 1992. SIMMER-III: an advanced computer program for LMFBR severe accident analysis. Proceedings of the ANP’ 92, Tokyo, Japan; Kondo, Sa., Tobita, Y., Morita, K., Brear, D.J., Kamiyama, K., Yamano, H., Fujita, S., Maschek, W., Fischer, E.A., Kiefhaber, E., Buckel, G., Hesselschwerdt, E., Flad, M., Costa, P., Pigny, S., 1999. Current status and validation of the SIMMER-III LMFR safety analysis code. Proceedings of the ICONE-7, Tokyo, Japan], which was originally developed for the safety assessment of sodium-cooled fast reactors and recently extended by the authors for the thermo-hydraulic and neutronic models so as to describe the molten salt reactors. For the adaptation to molten salt reactor, a complete equation of state (EOS) for this liquid fuel had to be developed and implemented into the SIMMER-III code. Through those simulations it was concluded that the thermal hydraulic behaviour appeared to be very important in molten salt reactors concerning design, operation and safety. A flow distribution plate design was found effective to optimize the flow pattern in the core region. Further investigations are under way to obtain optimal flow fields without exceeding design limits.     

钍基柱状高温气冷堆不同启动燃料特性初步分析

钍是一种可转换材料,将其转换成²³³U能极大提高现有核燃料资源的储量。为实现对钍的合理利用,以模块式柱状高温气冷堆GT-MHR的燃料组件作为研究对象,选取低浓缩铀、武器级钚、核反应堆级钚等作为其启动燃料。利用栅格输运计算程序DRAGON对这3种启动燃料下的钍基柱状燃料组件的寿期初中子能谱、无限增殖系数、燃耗、转换比以及²³³U和²³²Th的含量等参数进行了分析。结果表明,在易裂变物质初装量约为9%时,与低浓缩铀和武器级钚相比,核反应堆级钚作为启动燃料时组件寿期初中子能谱较硬、转换比较高;其燃耗达90 GW•d/tHM;其无限增殖系数在寿期内的波动最小;燃耗为75 GW•d/tHM时组件中²³³U存余量与²³²Th消耗量之比达0.566。     

Development of a safety analysis code for molten salt reactors

The molten salt reactor (MSR) well suited to fulfill the criteria defined by the Generation IV International Forum (GIF) is presently revisited all around the world because of different attractive features of current renewed relevance. The MSRs are characterized by using the fluid-fuel, so that their technologies are fundamentally different from those used in the conventional solid-fuel reactors. In this work, in particular, the attention is focused on the safety characteristic analysis of the MSRs, in which a point kinetic model considering the flow effects of the fuel salt is established for the MSRs and calculated by developing a microcomputer code coupling with a simplified heat transfer model in the core. The founded models and developed code are applied to analyze the safety characteristics of the molten salt actinide recycler and transmuter system (MOSART) by simulating three types of basic transient conditions including the unprotected loss of flow, unprotected overcooling accident and unprotected transient overpower. Some reasonable results are obtained for the MOSART, which show that the MOSART conceptual design is an inherently stable reactor design. The present study provides some valuable information for the research and design of the new generation MSRs.     

石墨慢化通道式熔盐堆有效缓发中子份额计算方法研究

有效缓发中子份额(βeff)是研究反应堆动力学特性的关键参数。在液态燃料熔盐堆(MSR)中,燃料流动引起缓发中子先驱核(DNP)在堆内的再分布,并使部分DNP在堆外回路衰变,从而导致βeff的计算方法与固态燃料反应堆不同。为评估石墨慢化通道式熔盐堆内燃料流动引起的反应性损失,研究缓发中子随燃料的流动行为,同时为堆设计和安全分析提供依据,分别基于解析方法和数值方法推导了计算βeff的数学模型,计算了熔盐实验堆(MSRE)在额定工况下的DNP损失份额和堆内DNP浓度分布,并分析了燃料在堆外流动时间和入口流量对βeff的影响。结果表明：两种方法均可对DNP行为提供合理描述;固定燃料在堆外流动时间,βeff随入口流量的增加而减小;固定入口流量,βeff随燃料在堆外流动时间的增加而减小,80 s后趋于稳定。     

Locked Rotor Accident Analysis in a Molten Salt Breeder Reactor

An analysis is made of locked rotor accidents in a molten salt breeder reactor (MSBR). The evaluation is performed using a point reactor model for the reactor power and a spatially lumped parameter model of primary system for fuel temperature.

In a reactor with circulating fuel such as an MSBR, the reduction or the stoppage of fuel flow caused by locked rotor of fuel pumps will result not only in adding positive reactivity due to the decrease of the loss of delayed neutron precursors out of the core, but also in loosing heat sink. In this report, locked rotor accidents of one, two, three and four pumps out of four fuel salt pumps are evaluated. It is shown that the transients of the reactor system will be within the safety range in virtue of the excellent nuclear and thermal characteristics of the MSBR.     

Improvements and validation of the transient analysis code MOREL for molten salt reactors

The liquid fuel salt used in the molten salt reactors (MSRs) serves as the fuel and coolant simultaneously. On the one hand, the delayed neutron precursors circulate in the whole primary loop and part of them decay outside the core. On the other hand, the fission heat is carried off directly by the fuel flow. These two features require new analysis method with the coupling of fluid flow, heat transfer and neutronics. In this paper, the recent update of MOREL code is presented. The update includes: (1) the improved quasi-static method for the kinetics equation with convection term is developed. (2) The multi-channel thermal hydraulic model is developed based on the geometric feature of MSR. (3) The Variational Nodal Method is used to solve the neutron diffusion equation instead of the original analytic basis functions expansion nodal method. The update brings significant improvement on the efficiency of MOREL code. And, the capability of MOREL code is extended for the real core simulation with feedback. The numerical results and experiment data gained from molten salt reactor experiment (MSRE) are used to verify and validate the updated MOREL code. The results agree well with the experimental data, which prove the new development of MOREL code is correct and effective.     

Burnup optimization of once-through molten salt reactors using enriched uranium and thorium

The advantages of once-through molten salt reactors include readily available fuel,low nuclear proliferation risk,and low technical difficulty.It is potentially the most easily commercialized fuel cycle mode for molten salt reactors.However,there are some problems in the parameter selection of once-through molten salt reactors,and the relevant burnup optimization work requires further analysis.This study examined once-through graphitemoderated molten salt reactor using enriched uranium and thori...     

Integral neutronics experiments in analytical mockups for blanket of a hybrid reactor

The paper describes recent progress in integral neutronics experiments in the analytical mockups for the blanket in a fusion-fission hybrid energy reactor. A conceptual blanket of the hybrid reactor is mainly loaded with natural uranium and lithium material. In the fission fuel region, uranium material and light water are arranged alternately. The mockups of the conceptual blanket are designed and used for checking neutron property of the blanket by integral experiments. Based on materials available, the spherical fission mockup for fission research and plutonium production consists of three layers of depleted uranium shells and several layers of polyethylene and graphite shells. The spherical lithium mockup for tritium production consists of depleted uranium and LiPb alloy shells. The cubic mockup consists of natural uranium and polyethylene and its structure is basically consistent with one of the fuel region. In the mockups with the D-T neutron source, the plutonium production rates, uranium fission rates and tritium production rates are measured, separately. The measured results are compared to the calculated ones with MCNP-4B code and ENDF/B-VI library data.     

Criticality investigations for the fixed bed nuclear reactor using thorium fuel mixed with plutonium or minor actinides

Prospective fuels for a new reactor type, the so called fixed bed nuclear reactor (FBNR) are investigated with respect to reactor criticality. These are ① low enriched uranium (LEU); ② weapon grade plutonium + ThO₂; ③ reactor grade plutonium + ThO₂; and ④ minor actinides in the spent fuel of light water reactors (LWRs) + ThO₂. Reactor grade plutonium and minor actinides are considered as highly radio-active and radio-toxic nuclear waste products so that one can expect that they will have negative fuel costs.The criticality calculations are conducted with SCALE5.1 using S₈–P₃ approximation in 238 neutron energy groups with 90 groups in thermal energy region. The study has shown that the reactor criticality has lower values with uranium fuel and increases passing to minor actinides, reactor grade plutonium and weapon grade plutonium.Using LEU, an enrichment grade of 9% has resulted with k_eff = 1.2744. Mixed fuel with weapon grade plutonium made of 20% PuO₂ + 80% ThO₂ yields k_eff = 1.2864. Whereas a mixed fuel with reactor grade plutonium made of 35% PuO₂ + 65% ThO₂ brings it to k_eff = 1.267. Even the very hazardous nuclear waste of LWRs, namely minor actinides turn out to be high quality nuclear fuel due to the excellent neutron economy of FBNR. A relatively high reactor criticality of k_eff = 1.2673 is achieved by 50% MAO₂ + 50% ThO₂.The hazardous actinide nuclear waste products can be transmuted and utilized as fuel in situ. A further output of the study is the possibility of using thorium as breeding material in combination with these new alternative fuels.     

Plutonium management and Generation IV systems

This paper discusses the potential role of Generation IV nuclear energy systems in managing plutonium. It briefly reviews the Generation IV goals and their relevance to plutonium management. Each of the six selected Generation IV systems [very high temperature reactor (VHTR), gas-cooled fast reactor (GFR), sodium-cooled fast reactor (SFR), super-critical-water-cooled reactor (SCWR), lead-cooled fast reactor (LFR), molten salt reactor (MSR)] is briefly discussed. The main characteristics of each system are summarised and the capability for plutonium management indicated. The potential for the management of plutonium using Generation IV systems is briefly reviewed from a complete fuel cycle perspective to illustrate the issues in the context of a fleet of reactor and fuel cycle facilities.     

Design of an overmoderated fuel and a full MOX core for plutonium consumption in boiling water reactors

The use of uranium–plutonium mixed oxide fuel (MOX) in light water reactors (LWR) is nowadays a current practice in several countries. Generally 1/3 of the reactor core is loaded with MOX fuel assemblies and the other 2/3 with uranium assemblies. Nevertheless the plutonium utilization could be more effective if the full core could be loaded with MOX fuel. In this paper the design of a boiling water reactor (BWR) core fully loaded with an overmoderated MOX fuel design is investigated. The design of overmoderated BWR MOX fuel assemblies based on a 10×10 lattice are developed, these designs improve the neutron spectrum and the plutonium consumption rate, compared with standard MOX assemblies. In order to increase the moderator to fuel ratio two approaches are followed: in the first approach, 8 or 12 fuel rods are replaced by water rods in the 10×10 lattice; in the second approach, an 11×11 lattice with 24 water rods is designed with an active fuel length very close to the standard MOX assembly. The results of the depletion behavior and the main steady state core parameters are presented. The feasibility of a full core loaded with the 11×11 overmoderated MOX fuel assembly is verified. This design take advantage of the softer spectrum comparable to the 10×10 lattice with 12 water rods but with thermal limits comparable to the standard MOX fuel assembly.     

Reactivity Coefficients in BN-600 Core with Minor Actinides

In 1999, the IAEA has initiated a Coordinated Research Project on “Updated Codes and Methods to Reduce the Calculational Uncertainties of the LMFR Reactivity Effects.” Three benchmark models representing different modifications of the BN-600 fast reactor have been sequentially established and analyzed, including a hybrid core with highly enriched uranium oxide and MOX fuel, a full MOX core with weapons-grade plutonium, and a MOX core with plutonium and minor actinides coming from spent nuclear fuel. The paper describes studies for the latter MOX core model. The benchmark results include core criticality at the beginning and end of the equilibrium fuel cycle, kinetics parameters, spatial distributions of power, and reactivity coefficients obtained by employing different computation tools and nuclear data. Sensitivity studies were performed to better understand in particular the influence of variations in different nuclear data libraries on the computed results. Transient simulations were done to investigate the consequences of employing a few different sets of power and reactivity coefficient distributions on the system behavior. The obtained results are analyzed in the paper.     

熔盐实验堆MSRE堆芯罐和反应堆容器辐照损伤计算与分析

本文采用蒙特卡罗程序MCNP5对熔盐实验堆MSRE的堆芯罐和反应堆容器的中子辐照损伤量--原子离位数率(DPA rate)进行计算与分析。确定了堆芯罐和反应堆容器上的中子注量率分布,对其中中子注量率最大的区域进行详细的原子离位数率计算。计算显示堆芯罐和反应堆容器最大的原子离位数率均发生在内表面、堆中心平面处、θ角度在22°~34°之间的区域,最大原子离位数率可达3.90×10^-9s^-1,且快中子对原子离位数率贡献要大于热中子。研究结论对新概念熔盐堆设计和参数选择具有重要的实际意义。     

Basic Analysis on Isotopic Barrier of Material Attractiveness Based on Plutonium Composition of FBR

Fuel behaviors of the large fast breeder reactor have been investigated, as well as material attractiveness based on isotopic plutonium composition for evaluating proliferation resistance with regards to a combined evaluation of decay heat and spontaneous fission neutron barrier as key parameters of isotopic material barrier. Trans-uranium fuel (TRU) (MA + U-Pu) in the core regions and MA doping (MA + natural U) in the blanket regions as options of MA loading produce a higher Pu-238 composition for denaturing plutonium, which mainly comes from converted Np-237. The isotopic plutonium composition of TRU fuel is relatively less than the Pu composition of MOX fuel except for the Pu-238 composition that is higher than that of MOX fuel. MA in the core or blanket regions, which produces a higher Pu-238 composition, plays a key role in obtaining a high-level material barrier of decay heat and spontaneous fission neutron compositions. The material attractiveness level of plutonium composition in the core regions can be categorized as practically unusable and its level becomes less by adopting TRU fuel. In addition, the material attractiveness level in the blanket regions as being practically unusable can be reached from weapon grade by loading MA at a 2% doping rate.