Fusion Modeling & Simulation Workshop Outcomes
A workshop was held on 10/04/2022 gathering Idaho National Laboratory (INL) experts to develop a roadmap for future fusion-related modeling & simulation (M&S) activities. A total of 43 participants, (34 in-person and 9 remote) contributed to the workshop. After a plenary session with presentations from the National Reactor Innovation Center (NRIC) and the Institutional Planning […]
Mesoscale modeling of Microstructural Evolution in High Burnup UO2 Fuel and Transient Response
Overview of work done to model UO2 HBS modeling at an upcoming DOE-CEA meeting.
Atomistic and mesoscale simulations to determine effective diffusion coefficient of fission products in SiC
The silicon carbide (SiC) layer in tristructural isotropic (TRISO) particles serves as the barrier to prevent escape of fission products produced in the fuel kernel. Knowing the diffusion coefficient of fission products through SiC is critical to determining whether fission gas can escape from the particle. It has been observed in experiments that Ag accumulated […]
Assessment approach to advanced fuel models
This document constitutes completion of the NEAMS milestone M3MS-21IN0201016, which is titled: Assessment of advanced fuel improvements. In this report we present: (1) simulations of separate effects creep tests for uranium alloy and HT-9, (2) examples of standardizing and updating metallic fuel assessments to include the latest models and key output figures of merit, which […]
New Developments and Verification of the Fusion Blanket Simulation Capabilities in the MOOSE Framework
This poster contains new developments and updates in the Multiphysics Object-Oriented Simulation Environment (MOOSE) framework related to fusion modeling and simulation, and forms the basis for an on-going effort in modeling whole fusion devices at Idaho National Laboratory using MOOSE. In this work, a slice of the midplane of a proposed ceramic breeder blanket design […]
Investigation of zirconium hydride morphology in a single crystal using quantitative phase field simulations supported by experiments
In light water nuclear reactors, waterside corrosion of the cladding material leads to the production of hydrogen, a fraction of which is picked up by the zirconium cladding and precipitates into brittle hydride particles. These nanoscale hydride particles aggregate into mesoscale hydride clusters. The principal stacking direction of the nanoscale hydrides precipitated in the cladding […]
Evaluation of Mechanistic and Empirical Models against Existing FFRD and LOCA Experimental Databases
The desire of the nuclear industry to improve the economics of existing nuclear power plants has necessitated research into the potential of a phenomenon known as fuel fragmentation, relocation, and dispersal (FFRD). This phenomenon is possible during a loss-of-coolant accident (LOCA) at relatively high burnup. The Nuclear Energy Advanced Modeling and Simulation program has been […]
TRISO PARTICLE FUEL PERFORMANCE WITH BISON
This is a deck of slide to be presented to the 6th Workshop on Material Properties of TRISO Fuels October 19-20, 2022.
Calibration of a mesoscale tritium transport model for ceramic breeder materials in TMAP8 using experimental data
Due to the scarcity of the long-term external tritium supply, lithium-containing breeder materials are used in the blanket of fusion reactors to produce tritium faster than the deuterium-tritium fusion reaction consumes it. A cellular breeder is a promising material with higher lithium density and thermal conductivity than conventional ceramic pebbles and enhanced tritium extraction with […]
Implementation and testing of physics-based pulverization model in Bison
This report summarizes lower length scale computational research conducted to improve the pulverization criterion for high-burnup UO2 fuel in the BISON fuel performance code. This research was sponsored by the NEAMS program during FY22. Efforts to improve the model primarily focus on calculating the current pressure of bubbles in the high-burnup structure (HBS) region, as […]