Challenging Common Assumptions of Thick-Wall Chamber Dynamics in Inertial Fusion Systems Using MOOSE-based Multiphysics Simulations
As an increasing number of companies look toward commercial Inertial Fusion Energy (IFE) designs, there is a pressing need to understand the physics of thick-wall chamber gas dynamics. The thick liquid wall approach implements a renewable wall to mitigate the fusion target emissions, thereby reducing the radiation damage rate and significantly extending the lifetime of […]
Toward a high-fidelity tritium transport modeling for retention and permeation experiments
Tritium Migration Analysis Program version 8 (TMAP8), the latest version of TMAP, was developed within the framework of the Multiphysics Object-Oriented Simulation Environment (MOOSE). Created at Idaho National Laboratory (INL), MOOSE is an open-source, dimension-agnostic, fully coupled, and fully implicit multiphysics platform featuring massively parallel computation capabilities. Using TMAP8, tritium transport in a divertor monoblock […]
Multiscale, mechanistic modeling of Cesium transport in Silicon Carbide for TRISO fuel performance prediction
Understanding cesium (Cs) transport in TRistructural ISOtropic (TRISO) particle fuel is crucial for predicting fission product release in high-temperature reactors. However, current challenges include significant scatter in diffusivity data and unexplained temperature-dependent diffusion regimes in the silicon carbide layer. This study addresses these challenges by developing a multiscale, mechanistic Cs transport model integrating atomistic simulations […]
Bayesian Analysis of TRISO Fuel: Quantifying Model Inadequacy, Incorporating Lower-Length-Scale Effects, and Developing Parallel Active Learning Capabilities
The \ac{doe}’s \ac{neams} program aims to develop predictive capabilities by applying computational methods to the analysis and design of advanced reactor and fuel-cycle systems. This program has been providing engineering-scale support for the continued development of BISON, a high-fidelity, high-resolution fuel performance tool. Fuel behavior in nuclear reactors is governed by a complex network of […]
Mechanistic nuclear fuel performance modeling of uranium nitride
Uranium mononitride (UN) is a nuclear fuel candidate for advanced reactor designs and an alternative being considered for light water reactors due to its higher thermal conductivity and uranium density than UO2. As with any nuclear fuel, swelling and fission gas release are important factors for safety, while also being some of the hardest phenomena […]
Multi-scale fission product release model with comparison to AGR data
TRistructural ISOtropic (TRISO) particle fuel is central to several advanced, high-temperature reactor designs. Each particle consists of a fuel kernel encapsulated by three layers of carbon and ceramics that prevent the release of fission products and ensure physical integrity. Despite outstanding retention properties, fission product release has been observed from intact particles. To better understand […]
An integrated statistical-thermodynamic model for fission gas release and swelling in nuclear fuels
We propose a new model for burst fission gas release induced by microcracking in ceramic nuclear fuels such as uranium dioxide. The model stipulates that the densities of defects in the fuel material, such as microcracks and fission gas bubbles on grain boundaries, evolve in accordance with the second law of thermodynamics. Central to the […]
FENIX: Towards a Fully Integrated Multiphysics Framework for Plasma Facing Component Modeling
Computational tools have a crucial role to play in accelerating the deployment of fusion as a clean, reliable, abundant, and sustainable energy source. Multiphysics, high-fidelity simulation capabilities can help model, study, and predict intricate interactions between materials performance, plasma exposure, neutron irradiation, and engineering processes. As such, they can assist in the resolution of scientific […]
Demonstrate Improved Ag Diffusion and Describe the Basis for Pd Penetration Modeling in SiC
In past work, an effective diffusivity coefficient was determined for Ag transport through the silicon carbide layer of a tristructural isotropic fuel particle. The effective diffusivity coefficient accounts for the microstructure of the silicon carbide and includes both bulk diffusion and grain boundary diffusion of Ag. In this report, the model has been improved by […]
Compare predictions of transient fission gas release by empirical and mechanistic models to experiments in high burnup UO2 fuel
Understanding and predicting fuel performance at high burnup require improving our understanding of transient fission gas release. High-burnup operations enable new mechanisms of fission gas release, which affect fuel performance. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has recently published its interpretation of existing fuel fragmentation, relocation, and dispersal data in a research information letter. There, transient fission […]