Introduction to Work Package 4 Safety and Performance for a New Generation of Reactor Designs

1
Introduction to Work Package 4Safety and
Performance for a New Generation of Reactor
Designs

• Tony Goddard
• Applied Modelling and Computation Group
• Earth Science and Engineering
• Imperial College London

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Initial Aims and Objectives

• PhD and PDRA training in systems modelling with
  respect to Gen IV
• Research into modelling fault and severe accident
  transient behaviour of VHTR and GFR systems
• Link materials performance and detailed heat
  transfer processes into safety performance
  research
• Develop the ability to predict the dynamical
  behaviour of fission products
• To form an overview of hydrogen production using
  nuclear heat from advanced reactors and comment
  on design implications
• To work closely with UK industry and
  international bodies
• Identify gaps in knowledge to supplement the UK
  contribution to the international programme

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Investigators and ProjectsStrong cross cutting
(CC) with other WPs

• Chris Pain and Tony Goddard (Imperial, CC with
  WP1) Coupled 3D asymmetric neutronics/thermal
  hydraulics for Gen IV fault studies
• Multi-scale physics and fluids
  modelling of 3D whole core spatially coupled
  transients using the FETCH code .. with a
  primary research focus on the physics and
  engineering of selected fault and severe
  accident sequences for for VHTR and GFR models.
  Incl first exploration of uncertainty. (part
  PDRA and 3 PhD)
• Dominique Laurence and Mark Cotton (Manchester,
  CC with WP1) Heat transfer in advanced ceramic
  structures
• A PhD student will exploit the
  database of advanced RANS models .. focus on
  optimising fuel/coolant exchanges for novel
  VHTR-GFR (gas-cooled) ceramic-prismatic cells in
  future reactor designs explore a variety of
  innovative designs, such as spiral ribs, or
  twisted hexagonal rods (1 PhD)

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Investigators and Projects

• Robin Grimes (Imperial, CC with WP3) Radiation
  damage simulations in fuel develop
  the ability to predict the dynamical evolution of
  fission products in fuel and waste forms subject
  to displacement damage. will employ
  conventional molecular dynamics and a new
  multi-time scale simulation approach.
  underpinning ..reactor safety case models for
  the release of volatile fission products (in
  particular gas atoms) from fuel. (1 PhD)
• Barry Marsden (Manchester, CC with WP2) Graphite
  issues for Generation IV To obtain a core
  life to 40years as required under Generation IV
  aims new longer lasting graphite needs to be
  developed for VHTR technology .. This will
  involve the development of mechanistic models
  that may be used to predict the irradiation
  behaviour of new novel graphitic material from
  knowledge of the unirradiated microstructure. (1
  PhD)

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Investigators and Projects

• Mike Fitzpatrick and Lyndon Edwards (OU, CC WP2)
  Review of candidate metallic materials.
• a very good understanding of the
  behaviour of the materials (static and
  dynamic) is required over the entire scale range
  from atomic, through micro-structure, to large
  scale structures.. the OU will review
  international work, identify gaps in knowledge
  (-)
• Ray Allen (Sheffield) Design implications of
  hydrogen production
• A Generation IV reactor, such as the
  VHTR, is considered an essential element of the
  international drive to harness nuclear heat for
  the zero emission production of hydrogen., the
  Sheffield team will consider in detail the
  thermodynamic limitations of the available cycles
  and the extent to which these impact on the
  reactor design, particularly in so far as it
  places limits on the upper temperature for
  process use. (2 PDRA)

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Features of activity since October 2005

• Held two WP meetings (hosted Barry) in
  Manchester Spring 2006 and 2007
• Meetings useful for new ideas eg KNOO cfd
  benchmarking activity
• Good forum for PhD students supplemented by
• six young people attended Stuttgart Raphael VHTR
  course
• Three attended FJ/OH course last year and two to
  attend 2007
• GenIV systems excellent for originality and
  research training
• UK becoming inactive GIF member has hit
  stakeholders
• Nonetheless wider spin-offs for stakeholders
  from KNOO

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Examples of wider UK industry spin-offs

• Increases pool of people familiar with gas
  reactor issues eg graphite materials issues,
  whole circuit modelling MACE code and coolant
  channel flows
• virtual reactor KNOO WP4 3D coupled
  nuclear/T/H/structural modelling provides
  supportive platform for collaboration with
  SULTAN/MOD reactor research

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Relations with EC etc

• The commission now has robust frameworks for
  indirect action programmes for all six GenIV
  systems under FP7
• We have ensured that senior figures in the
  Commission and EURATOM are aware of KNOO they
  want closer contacts
• Need for a UK legal entity which could bring
  KNOO within GIF better international contacts
  for our training and research?
• Only current formal route to GIF is participation
  in FP6/FP7 indirect action programmes several
  KNOO groups have these links

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For our student audienceWhat are the GenIV
systems?

• Compared with Gen III, (2015), Gen IV systems
  (2040) enhanced sustainability (including full
  actinide recycling) and enhanced competitiveness
  (eg cogeneration of heat and power for process
  heat, syn-fuels and hydrogen)

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For our student audienceGenIV thermal systems

• VHTR mainly possible co-generation, maybe
  electricity production with high efficiency, no
  actinide management, once through cycle
• SCWR Supercritical water-cooled reactor
  mainly electricity production with high
  efficiency, maybe cogeration, actinide management
  with fast version.

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For our student audienceGenIV fast systems and
MSR

• GFR Mainly electricity production with high
  efficiency/actinide management
• SFR as for GFR
• LFR - as for GFR
• MSR- Molten salt reactor full actinide
  management electricity production also MSR
  research links with advanced reprocessing
  technology

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Summary

• WP 4 off to a good start with good
  inter-university relations and links between WPs
• Exciting new research areas emerging
• Gen IV clearly a major research activity in
  Europe and we need to find better ways to
  interact with this and with GIF
• Spin-offs to current UK industry interests