Neutronic feasibility design of a small long-life HTR

Small high temperature gas-cooled reactors (HTRs) have the advantages of transportability, modular construction and flexible site selection. This paper presents the neutronic feasibility design of a 20 MWth U-Battery, which is a long-life block-type HTR. Key design parameters and possible reactor core configurations of the U-Battery were investigated by SCALE 5.1. The design parameters analyzed include fuel enrichment, the packing fraction of TRISO particles, the radii of fuel compacts and kernels, and the thicknesses of top and bottom reflectors. Possible reactor core configurations investigated include five cylindrical, two annular and four scatter reactor cores for the U-Battery. The neutronic design shows that the 20 MWth U-Battery with a 10-year lifetime is feasible using less than 20% enriched uranium, while the negative values of the temperature coefficients of reactivity partly ensure the inherent safety of the U-Battery. The higher the fuel enrichment and the packing fraction of TRISO particles are, the lower the reactivity swing during 10 years will be. There is an optimum radius of fuel kernels for each value of the fuel compact design parameter (i.e., radius) and a specific fuel lifetime. Moreover, the radius of fuel kernels has a small influence on the infinite multiplication factor of a typical fuel block in the range of 0.2–0.25 mm, when the radius of fuel compacts is 0.6225 cm and the lifetime of the fuel block is 10 years. The comparison of the cylindrical reactor cores with the non-cylindrical ones shows that neutron under-moderation is a basic neutronic characteristic of the reactor core of the U-Battery. Increasing neutron moderation by replacing fuel blocks with graphite blocks and dispersing the graphite blocks in the reactor core are two effective ways to increase the fuel burnup and lifetime of the U-Battery. Water or steam ingress may induce positive reactivity ranging from 0 to 0.16 Δk/k, which further demonstrates that the U-Battery is under-moderated.     

Verification of Fission Product Release Model from High Temperature Engineering Test Reactor Fuel

A fuel assembly of the High Temperature Engineering Test Reactor (HTTR) is composed of fuel rods and a hexagonal graphite block. A fuel rod is composed of the fuel compacts and a graphite sleeve. The coated fuel particles are incorporated into a graphite matrix to form a fuel compact. The fuel consists of microspheres of low-enriched U02 with a TRISO coating. The TRISO coatings consist of a porous pyrolytic carbon (PyC) buffer layer followed by an isotropic PyC layer, a SiC layer and a final (outer) PyC layer.

In order to evaluate amounts of fission products released from the HTTR fuel rods during normal operation, analytical models have been developed. Fractional releases of noble gases and iodine are calculated based on release data of ⁸⁸Kr which are obtained by irradiation tests with failed coated fuel particles. The transport of the metallic fission products through the kernel, coatings, fuel compact and graphite sleeve is modeled as a diffusion process. These analytical models have been verified by comparison with measured fractional releases in in-reactor tests and have been concluded to be applicable to the HTTR fuel condition.     

An investigation on the green properties of U-10wt.%Mo/Al and U3Si2/Al powder compacts

The effects of fuel powder volume fraction and fuel particle shape on green properties of compacts, which were produced by processing the blended U-10wt.%Mo and U₃Si₂ with Al powders were investigated respectively, with respective to the compacting pressure range of 50–400 MPa. The relative density of the compacts increases with decreasing volume fraction of fuel powder. The compressibility of comminuted powder compacts was larger than that of the atomized powder compacts due to the fragmentation of comminuted particles, and the compressibility of the compacts of U-10wt.%Mo was larger than that of the compacts of U₃Si₂ due to the deformation of U-10wt.%Mo particles. The green strength of the comminuted powder compacts is higher than that of the atomized powder compact. This seems to have resulted from the smaller pore size and the larger contact area between the comminuted fuel powders and Al powders. It is suggested that the compacting condition adjustment be required to fabricate the atomized powder compacts having comparable green strength.     

Utilization of TRISO Fuel with LWR Spent Fuel in Fusion-Fission Hybrid Reactor System

HTRs use a high performance particulate TRISO fuel with ceramic multi-layer coatings due to the high burn up capability and very neutronic performance. TRISO fuel because of capable of high burn up and very neutronic performance is conducted in a D-T fusion driven hybrid reactor. In this study, TRISO fuels particles are imbedded body-centered cubic (BCC) in a graphite matrix with a volume fraction of 68%. The neutronic effect of TRISO coated LWR spent fuel in the fuel rod used hybrid reactor on the fuel performance has been investigated for Flibe, Flinabe and Li₂₀Sn₈₀ coolants. The reactor operation time with the different first neutron wall loads is 24 months. Neutron transport calculations are evaluated by using XSDRNPM/SCALE 5 codes with 238 group cross section library. The effect of TRISO coated LWR spent fuel in the fuel rod used hybrid reactor on tritium breeding (TBR), energy multiplication (M), fissile fuel breeding, average burn up values are comparatively investigated. It is shown that the high burn up can be achieved with TRISO fuel in the hybrid reactor.     

New fuel rod design based on LEU/Th fuel and an assessment on in-core fuel cycle length of the MHR core

The current Modular Helium Reactor (MHR) fuel cycle uses fissile LEU (19.8 wt% U-235) and depleted uranium in separate TRISO particles, in a single fuel rod within a graphite matrix. The TRISO particle volume packing fraction (PF) in the fuel rods is 29%, of which the LEU particle PF is 62%. The lifetime between refuelings is about 476 effective full power days (EFPD). In this paper we assess the possibility of replacing the depleted uranium TRISO particles with thorium TRISO particles, and evaluate the impact of such replacement on fuel cycle length. A preliminary scoping study was performed to determine the most promising fuel rod/zoning configurations. The scoping study indicates that there is advantage to separating the thorium TRISO particles from the LEU particles at the fuel rod level instead of mixing them within a single rod. An axial checkerboard distribution of the fuel rods where all uranium and all thorium rods are interchangeable along the axial direction within the graphite block is the most promising configuration that was identified in this study and can be lead to a fuel cycle length extension of 50-80% relative to the current design, with only a modest increase in the fissile material loading (15-20%). To this advantage can be added the benefit of a significant reduction in nuclear waste and in health risk. This study also lays the foundation for improving the fuel rod arrangement within the graphite block and the graphite blocks within the entire reactor core. The analysis is limited to a once - through fuel cycle based on in situ fissioning of the U-233, without further separation and reprocessing. The preliminary heat transfer analysis indicates that the maximum temperature in the fuel will be raised by about 10-15% over that of current MHR design.     

Performance of TRISO particles fueled with plutonium and minor actinides in a PBMR-400 core design

The TRISO particle design of high temperature reactors fueled with plutonium (Pu) and/or minor actinides (MAs) is investigated by calculating the failure fraction of TRISO particles during irradiation. For this purpose, a fuel depletion, neutronics and thermal-hydraulics code system, which delivers the fuel temperature, fast neutron flux and power density profiles, is coupled to an analytical stress analysis code. The latter is being further developed for the calculation of a reliable and realistic failure fraction. The code system has been applied to a PBMR-400 design containing TRISO particles fueled with 1st and 2nd generation plutonium and with a target burn-up of 700 and 600 MWd/kgHM, respectively. It is shown that the pebble-bed type high temperature reactor under consideration is a promising option for burning Pu and MAs if very high burn-ups can be achieved. The TRISO particle failure fraction is also calculated for both Pu and MA fuels, and compared to U-based fuel. It is shown by the present stress analysis code that the Pu-based fuel particles need a better design and this has been achieved for the MA-based fuel, in which helium gas atoms have a significant contribution to the buffer pressure.     

气冷微堆燃料设计的中子学特性影响研究

为分析气冷微堆燃料设计的中子学特性影响,基于方形燃料组件模型,利用蒙特卡罗程序RMC研究了TRISO颗粒、燃料芯块在燃料设计中的主要参量对组件中子学特性的影响。研究结果表明,燃料颗粒体积占比和包覆层厚度不变时,组件寿期随燃料核芯直径的增大先显著增大,而后趋于平稳;燃料颗粒体积占比和燃料核芯直径不变时,组件寿期随包覆层厚度的增大而减小;燃料装载量不变时,芯块直径增大,组件寿期显著增大,而芯块高度影响较小;无燃料区厚度的增加对组件中子学特性有明显的负面影响,基体材料密度、基体杂质硼当量对组件中子学特性的影响较小。研究结果将为后续气冷微堆包覆颗粒弥散燃料的设计优化提供指导。     

Fission product monitoring of TRISO coated fuel for the advanced gas reactor-1 experiment

The US Department of Energy has embarked on a series of tests of TRISO coated particle reactor fuel intended for use in the Very High Temperature Reactor (VHTR) as part of the Advanced Gas Reactor (AGR) program. The AGR-1 TRISO fuel experiment, currently underway, is the first in a series of eight fuel tests planned for irradiation in the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) located at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL). The AGR-1 experiment reached a peak compact averaged burnup of 9% FIMA with no known TRISO fuel particle failures in March 2008. The burnup goal for the majority of the fuel compacts is to have a compact averaged burnup greater than 18% FIMA and a minimum compact averaged burnup of 14% FIMA. At the INL the TRISO fuel in the AGR-1 experiment is closely monitored while it is being irradiated in the ATR. The effluent monitoring system used for the AGR-1 fuel is the Fission Product Monitoring System (FPMS). The FPMS is a valuable tool that provides near real-time data indicative of the AGR-1 test fuel performance and incorporates both high-purity germanium (HPGe) gamma-ray spectrometers and sodium iodide [NaI(Tl)] scintillation detector-based gross radiation monitors. To quantify the fuel performance, release-to-birth ratios (R/B's) of radioactive fission gases are computed. The gamma-ray spectra acquired by the AGR-1 FPMS are analyzed and used to determine the released activities of specific fission gases, while a dedicated detector provides near-real time count rate information. Isotopic build up and depletion calculations provide the associated isotopic birth rates. This paper highlights the features of the FPMS, encompassing the equipment, methods and measures that enable the calculation of the release-to-birth ratios. Some preliminary results from the AGR-1 experiment are also presented.     

Reactivity control technique for a pressurized water reactor with an inventive TRISO fuel particle composition

In this research paper a reactivity control technique has been suggested for the conceptual design of a compact sized pressurized water reactor (PWR) core with an inventive tristructural-isotropic (TRISO) fuel particle composition. This conceptual design is a light water cooled and moderated reactor which utilizes TRISO fuel particles in PWR technology. The use of TRISO fuel in PWR technology improves integrity of the design due to its fission fragments retention ability. The fuel provides first retention barrier within fuel itself against the release of fission fragments that makes this design concept safer and environment friendly. The suggested TRISO fuel particle composition has a small amount of Pu-240 with 2.0 w/o in the place of U-238 which acts as reactivity suppressor. Reactor codes WIMS-D/4 and CITATION have been used for simulation and core design modeling. Results reveals that the amount of excess reactivity can be reduced significantly by using a small amount of Pu-240 in TRISO fuel which in turns reduces the number of gadolinia rods in the core required for excess reactivity control and completely eliminates the requirement of soluble boron system. Therefore the effective and optimal use of reactivity suppressor and burnable poison suppresses and flattens the core excess reactivity throughout the core life and hence number of control rods can be reduced without compromising on the shutdown margin.     

小型模块化超级安全气冷堆中子学特性研究

为分析小型模块化超级安全气冷堆堆芯中子学特性，建立六棱柱燃料组件模型，利用蒙特卡罗程序和ORIGEN程序的耦合计算，研究TRISO颗粒致密度、燃料富集度、TRISO颗粒大小、栅距比、TRISO颗粒包层厚度和燃料棒直径等物理参数对寿期等特性的影响。研究结果表明，寿期长度随着燃料富集度、栅距比的增大而单调增大；燃料棒直径、TRISO颗粒致密度、TRISO颗粒尺寸大小对寿期长度也有一定的影响；TRISO颗粒包层厚度对寿期长度的影响很小。基于该结果，初步设计出小型模块化超级安全气冷堆的堆芯装载方案，其寿期满足20 a不换料的寿期长度要求。      

包覆燃料颗粒尺寸及其标准偏差对失效概率的影响

三结构同向性型(Tristructural isotropic,TRISO)包覆燃料颗粒是目前高温气冷堆和固态燃料熔盐堆采用的燃料元件。TRISO包覆燃料颗粒破损会导致裂变产物不可接受的释放,由此影响反应堆的安全运行。基于TRISO包覆燃料颗粒压力壳式破损模型,分析了TRISO包覆燃料颗粒核芯和各包覆层的尺寸对失效概率的影响,研究了TRISO包覆燃料颗粒核芯半径、疏松热解碳(Buffer)层厚度和碳化硅(Si C)层厚度的合理设计范围。同时,利用随机抽样统计的方法分析了TRISO包覆燃料颗粒核芯半径分布和各包覆层厚度分布对颗粒失效概率的影响。研究发现,降低Buffer层厚度分布的标准差至16μm可以使TRISO包覆燃料颗粒的失效概率降低一个数量级。     

Advances in the conceptual design of a gas-cooled Accelerator Driven System (ADS) transmutation device for a sustainable nuclear energy development

The possibilities of a nuclear energy development are considerably increasing with the world energetic demand increment. However, the management of nuclear waste from conventional nuclear power plants and its inventory minimization are the most important issues that should be addressed. Fast reactors and Accelerator Driven Systems (ADS) are the main options to reduce the long-lived radioactive waste inventory. Pebble Bed Very High Temperature advanced systems have great perspectives to assume the future nuclear energy development challenges. The conceptual design of a Transmutation Advanced Device for Sustainable Energy Applications (TADSEA) has been done in preliminary studies. The TADSEA is an ADS cooled by helium and moderated by graphite that uses as fuel small amounts of transuranic elements in the form of TRISO particles, confined in 3 cm radius graphite pebbles forming a pebble bed configuration. It would be used for nuclear waste transmutation and energy production. In the paper, the results of a method for calculating the number of whole pebbles fitting in a volume according to its size are showed. From these results, the packing fraction influence on the TADSEAs main work parameters is studied. In addition, a redesign of the previous configuration, according to the established conditions in the preliminary design, i.e. the exit thermal power, is made.Additionally, the heterogeneity of the TRISO particles inside the pebbles is not negligible. In the paper, a study of the power density distribution inside the pebbles using a detailed model of the TRISO particles and a homogeneous composition of the fuel is addressed.     

HTR Fuel Waste Management: TRISO separation and acid-graphite intercalation compounds preparation

Considering the need to reduce waste production and greenhouse emissions and still keeping high energy efficiency, various 4th generation nuclear energy systems have been proposed. As far as graphite-moderated reactors are concerned (future high temperature fast or thermal reactors), one of the key issues is the large volumes of irradiated graphite encountered. With the objective to reduce volume of waste in the HTR concept, it is very important to be able to separate the fuel from low level activity graphite representing a large volume. The separated TRISO particles can then be reprocessed for waste separation or disposed off in geological repository. In addition, preparation of acid-GICs from the separated graphite may constitute a way to recycle this waste.We used HTR-type compact fuel with ZrO₂ TRISO particles to test two separation methods: low (H₂SO₄ + H₂O₂) and high (H₂SO₄ + HNO₃) temperature acid treatments. In both cases the TRISO separation was complete but some TRISO layers oxidized at high temperature. At low temperature, the desegregation of graphite grains is facilitated by intercalation of sulfuric acid between the graphene layers. The acid-GIC obtained consists of pure phases of high quality suggesting their potential industrial recycling.     

全陶瓷微密封燃料有效多群截面计算方法研究

全陶瓷微密封（FCM）燃料是一种弥散颗粒燃料。由于弥散颗粒燃料存在双重非均匀性，传统的确定论方法及蒙特卡罗方法皆难以处理这种双重非均匀效应以获得有效多群截面。本文基于超细群方法建立FCM燃料的有效多群截面计算方法。为描述燃料棒内TRISO颗粒的非均匀性，在共振能量段，通过采用超细群方法求解包含TRISO颗粒的一维球模型得到超细群缺陷因子，通过超细群缺陷因子修正所有核素的超细群截面即可将颗粒和基质均匀化。由于TRISO颗粒在热能区也存在较强的自屏效应，在热能区，利用穿透概率及碰撞概率等价得到多群缺陷因子，通过多群缺陷因子修正所有核素的多群截面将燃料和基质均匀化。均匀化后的FCM燃料组件即可视为普通压水堆燃料组件进行共振计算。利用丹可夫修正因子等价得到FCM燃料组件各燃料棒的等效一维棒模型，对一维棒模型求解超细群慢化方程从而得到共振能量段的有效自屏截面。数值结果表明，该方法能有效处理FCM燃料的双重非均匀性，得到精确的有效自屏截面。     

UN核芯TRISO包覆燃料颗粒性能分析

为分析致密热解碳层、内压等因素对TRISO包覆燃料颗粒热-力学性能的影响，基于多物理场耦合软件COMSOL建立了以UN为核芯的TRISO包覆燃料颗粒三维热-力学耦合模型，并通过IAEA CRP-6基准题进行了验证。利用本文模型对稳态运行及反应性引入事故（RIA）工况下典型TRISO包覆燃料颗粒的性能进行了分析，结果表明，正常运行工况下SiC层能维持结构完整性，但IPyC层存在失效风险，需进一步优化TRISO包覆燃料颗粒的设计方案，而RIA工况下热膨胀是造成TRISO包覆燃料颗粒发生结构失效的主要原因。该模型能对轻水堆运行环境下的TRISO包覆燃料颗粒进行复杂的多物理场耦合性能分析，为进一步优化FCM燃料元件设计打下基础。     

Irradiation behavior of HTGR coated particle fuel at abnormally high temperature

Irradiation behavior of high temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) coated particles under temperature transient conditions was investigated in accordance with a design-base accident scenario for HTTR, a 30 MWth HTGR under construction at JAERI. One of the scenarios predicts that the fuel temperature of the block-type fuel elements rises to abnormally high temperature by blocking a coolant channel with some foreign substance. For simulating this scenario the fuel compacts incorporating the coated particles were irradiated at normal temperature in three capsules, followed by temperature transient up to a maximum of approximately 2000°C. The post-irradiation examinations, including surface inspection, metrology, ceramography and a measurement of coated particle failure were applied to the fuel compacts to investigate the thermal-transient effect on the fuel integrity. Integrity of the fuel compact was also assessed by an estimation of tangential stress introduced into the compact by the temperature transient.     

球形燃料元件温度分布对包覆燃料颗粒失效概率的影响

固态熔盐堆采用TRISO(Tristructural isotropic)包覆颗粒球形燃料元件。在运行工况下,燃料元件内部存在一定的温度分布,填充在燃料元件内部不同位置的TRISO颗粒的失效概率会因此受到影响。利用体积微元的方法分析了温度分布对包覆颗粒失效概率的影响,并进一步研究了球形燃料元件尺寸对TRISO颗粒平均失效概率的影响。结果表明,在一定的功率密度下,如果利用球心温度或者平均温度计算燃料元件内部TRISO颗粒的平均失效概率,结果相比实际值会有至少一个数量级的差别;在相同功率密度和相同燃耗条件下,燃料元件直径每减小1 cm,其包覆颗粒平均失效概率降低两个数量级左右。     

球形燃料元件中包覆颗粒的分布效应研究

在球形燃料元件中,包覆颗粒的填充因子低于10%,分布具有很大的随机性。本文利用MATLAB程序实现了4种填充的建模方式,即体积等效规则填充、扰动的规则填充、随机的规则填充和完全随机填充模拟燃料球中包覆颗粒的分布。基于固态燃料钍基熔盐堆(Thorium-based Molten Salt Reactor with Solid Fuel,TMSR-SF1)设计中选用的包覆颗粒燃料参数,使用蒙特卡罗程序MCNP6 1.0和ENDF/B VII.0数据库进行了全反射边界条件下的单燃料球临界计算,精确量化了不同的建模方式引起的中子物理特性参数的差异。计算表明,这4种建模方式形成了不同的包覆颗粒聚集程度。包覆颗粒的聚集会导致丹可夫效应的增强,从而增大了中子被燃料吸收的概率,无限增殖因数随之增大,燃料温度系数随之减小。