Griffin: A MOOSE-based reactor physics application for multiphysics simulation of advanced nuclear reactors
Griffin is a Multiphysics Object-Oriented Simulation Environment (MOOSE) based reactor physics application for multiphysics simulations of advanced reactor designs jointly developed by Idaho National Laboratory and Argonne National Laboratory. This paper summarizes the motivation, significance, architecture, design, and features of Griffin. Griffin offers flexible and extensible features to address the challenges associated with advanced reactor […]
Verification and Validation Activities of Molten Salt Reactors Multiphysics Coupling Schemes at Idaho National Laboratory
This paper presents the latest verification and validation activities in molten salt reactor modeling and simulation performed at Idaho National Laboratory. Multiphysics solutions are obtained by coupling the neutronics code Griffin, the thermal hydraulics code Pronghorn, and the system analysis code SAM, under the MOOSE framework. We present various multiphysics coupling schemes with these codes […]
BlueCRAB Multiphysics in Support of the U.S.NRC
This presentation provides an overview of the nonLWR modeling and simulation project at INL. It includes a discussion of the various reference plant models developed since 2019 and a more detailed view at results from a monolith-based heat pipe cooled micro reactor.
Initial Demonstration of New Griffin Capability for Simulating the Running-In Phase of Pebble-Bed Reactors with Multiphysics
Griffin, a MOOSE (Multiphysics Object-Oriented Simulation Environment) based application targeting transient modelling of advanced reactors, has been used recently to model pebble-bed reactors (PBRs). The modelling effort has focused thus far on modelling the equilibrium core. A new capability to simulate the running-in phase of PBR operation has been added to Griffin. This work demonstrates […]
Reduced-order modeling for efficient cross section library development in high-temperature gas reactor pebble-bed depletion analysis
Deterministic neutronics calculations in Griffin rely on multigroup neutron cross section libraries, which consist of databases of tabulated values, used to calculate the neutron cross sections through multivariate linear interpolation. However, the size of microscopic cross section libraries increases rapidly with the number of tabulations, requiring substantial memory and drastically slowing down the Griffin calculations […]
Sensitivity analysis, surrogate modeling, and optimization of pebble-bed reactors considering normal and accident conditions
This research provides a valuable tool that streamlines the optimization process while significantly increasing its accuracy. This study creates a robust framework for reactor design optimization by incorporating comprehensive modeling using the Comprehensive Reactor Analysis Bundle, or BlueCRAB, within the Multiphysics Object-Oriented Simulation Environment (MOOSE). BlueCRAB is the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s code suite […]
BISON Simulated and Experimental Fission Product Release Comparisons from Reradiated AGR-3/4 Compacts During High Temperature Heating Tests
The fuel performance modeling code BISON was used to predict the release of fission products iodine-131 (131I), xenon-133 (133Xe), and krypton-85 (85Kr) from four re-irradiated AGR-3/4 fuel compacts containing tristructural isotropic (TRISO) coated particles during high-temperature isothermal heating tests. The AGR-3/4 fuel compacts were irradiated in the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) as part of the […]
Multiphysics Analysis of the MSRE Experiment Using Griffin-SAM Coupled Code System
Molten salt reactors (MSRs) with flowing fuel have the unique feature of utilizing the fuel salt for heat generation and extraction at the same time since the fuel salt is circulating through the whole primary loop of the reactor. This movement of the fuel salt results in a partial decay of the delayed neutron precursors […]
Investigation of Ring-heterogeneous Geometry Approximation for Efficient and Practical SFR Analysis
A novel geometry approximation scheme named ring-heterogeneous approximation for intermediate resolution multiphysics analysis of SFRs is presented. This approach particularly targets neutronics coupled with thermo-mechanics feedback, which dominate the passive safety of SFR designs. The ring-heterogeneous approximation casts an array of pins into volume-preserving bands of materials that constitute the pins. It allows to efficiently […]
An equilibrium core depletion algorithm for pebble-bed reactors in the Griffin code
We present a novel deterministic equilibrium core pebble-bed depletion algorithm. It differs from most other algorithms by distinguishing pebble age directly by burnup instead of using the number of completed passes through the core. Using burnup allows for a more physically realistic modeling of the pebble discharge process, especially for low pass cores. The major […]