Research Highlight | Nuclear Science and Engineering
Multi-physics analysis promotes safe operation of advanced nuclear reactors
By simulating reactor behavior in various transient events—for example, coolant pump failure—these analyses can help engineers design built-in safety features that don’t rely on human operators.
At the Advances in Thermal Hydraulics 2024 Winter Conference, Argonne scientists demonstrated how a multi-physics simulation model can help engineers design more reliable nuclear energy technologies.
Scientific Achievement
Researchers combined Argonne’s System Analysis Module (SAM) with Griffin, a finite element-based reactor physics application developed by Argonne and Idaho National Laboratory, to improve the fidelity of simulations for the pebble bed Fluoride-salt-cooled High-temperature Reactor (PB-FHR).
A PB-FHR uses liquid fluoride salt as a coolant, allowing it to operate at higher temperatures and produce energy more efficiently than water-cooled reactors. It also enhances safety by employing small fuel pebbles that are designed to safely contain fission products, even under extreme conditions.
Typical safety analyses use zero-dimensional calculation for reactor physics—how the power level changes in the reactor— and one-dimensional calculation for thermal hydraulics within the reactor system. By coupling Griffin and SAM, Gang Yang and colleagues in Argonne’s Nuclear Science and Engineering division created multi-physics, multi-dimensional models of the reactor core. They demonstrated how inherent safety feedback mechanisms can prompt safe reactor shutdown without any human operation or automatic control rod insertion.
Significance and Impact
By simulating the behavior in various transient events—for example, coolant pump failure—these multi-physics analyses can help engineers design a more reliable reactor that uses inherent safety features to guard against potential incidents. It could also help identify situations where activating the control mechanisms is necessary to safely shut down the reactor.
Argonne is developing advanced tools, with improved fidelity and more flexibility, that can perform safety analyses for various types of advanced reactor designs. These analyses will help ensure the safety of new reactors and accelerate the deployment of advanced nuclear energy technologies.
Research Details
- Investigators developed a simulation model for the pebble bed Fluoride-salt-cooled High-temperature Reactor (PB-FHR).
- To improve the accuracy of the PB-FHR simulations, the team coupled Argonne’s System Analysis Module (SAM) with Griffin, a finite element-based reactor physics application.
Argonne’s Nuclear Science & Engineering (NSE) Division participates in key U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) nuclear energy and national security initiatives, including supporting the nation’s program for development and demonstration of advanced reactor technologies that promise to improve the affordability of nuclear power, enhancing the assurance of safety and security and minimizing the discharge of radioactive waste.
Argonne National Laboratory seeks solutions to pressing national problems in science and technology by conducting leading-edge basic and applied research in virtually every scientific discipline. Argonne is managed by UChicago Argonne, LLC for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science.
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