High-Fidelity Forced Convection Simulations of the UW-Madison Air-Cooled Reactor Cavity Cooling System
Among the advanced nuclear technologies, high-temperature gas-cooled reactors (HTGRs) stand out due to their co-generation capabilities and exceptional passive safety systems. The HTGR’s exceptional passive safety feature is demonstrated with the HTR-PM nuclear power plant. The loss of cooling tests validated that these reactors can be cooled down by the laws of nature, without depending […]
Summary Report Of The FY25 Computational Fluid Dynamics Verification And Validation Exercises In The Advanced Reactor Technologies – Gas-cooled Reactor Program
Verification and Validation (V&V) of numerical tools is critical for ensuring reasonable predictions during design, safety analysis, and licensing. Recent work in the Advanced Reactor Technologies – Gas-cooled Reactor (ART-GCR) program has focused on V&V of common Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) tools that are used within the Untied States. This report presents an update on […]
Utilization of NEUP Data for HTGR Thermal-Fluid Code Validation: A New Resource Platform
The high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) is a Generation-IV advanced nuclear reactor design that has received significant attention due to its ability to generate high-temperature heat ranging from 750-950 °C. HTGR designs feature tri-structural isotropic (TRISO) fuel coated with ceramics, including carbon and silicon carbide, which allows for high-temperature operation while maintaining structural and fission product […]
Summary Report Of The FY25 Reactor Physics Verification And Validation Exercises In The Advanced Reactor Technologies – Gas-cooled Reactor Program
Valdiation and verification of numerical tools is critical for ensuring reasonable predictions for design scoping, licensing, and safety analsyis. In this report, two reactor physics verification and validation exercises are presented. The first of these exercises focuses on burnup analysis with data from the Advanced Gas Reactor (AGR) program. Simulations are performed with Monte Carlo […]
Development and demonstration of a BISON–Griffin modeling framework for the design of targeted TRISO transient experiments in the Transient Reactor Test Facility
Uranium oxycarbide (UCO)-bearing tri-structural isotropic (TRISO) particle fuels are expected to be used in numerous U.S. commercial reactor applications within the next decade. In this work, we reviewed historical particle fuel transient experiments to identify gaps in TRISO fuel performance transient testing. A BISON–Griffin modeling framework was then developed to conduct preliminary TRISO transient analyses […]
HTGR Validation: NEUP Survey and Database – Data Reporting Standard for HTGR Thermal-Fluid Experiments
Since 2009, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Nuclear Energy’s Nuclear Energy University Program (NEUP) has been at the forefront of nuclear research, specifically concentrating on advancing high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) technologies. By Fiscal Year 2024, NEUP has authorized 36 projects dedicated to HTGR research, each contributing significantly to the enhancement of our […]
A MOOSE-Based Model for Fission Products Transport and Source Term Estimation for High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactors
Thanks to fuel elements containing tristructural isotropic (TRISO) particles combined with a low core power density and passive feedback mechanisms leading to modest temperature rises in the event of accidental events, high-temperature gas-cooled reactors (HTGRs) offer a high degree of reliability in terms of fission product retention. While the anticipated source term for HTGRs is […]
High Fidelity Simulations of Air-Cooled Reactor Cavity Cooling System
High Temperature Gas Reactor (HTGR) designs incorporate passive safety systems (e.g., the Reactor Cavity Cooling System [RCCS]) that utilize natural principles to manage heat dissipation from the reactor pressure vessel (RPV) during accidents or routine shutdowns. The industry community is experiencing a pressing need for advanced simulation tools that can accurately assess the performance of […]
Generating An Advanced Cross-section Library For HTGR Pebble Bed Depletion Calculations Using Reduced-Order Model Generation Techniques
For code development, Advanced Reactor Technologies – Gas Cooled Reactors Program (ART-GCR) rely on a collaboration with the Nuclear Energy Advanced Modeling and Simulation (NEAMS) program, but the cross sections generation and the methodology definition is part of this program area goals. Based on previous studies in FY23, the size of microscopic cross section libraries […]
Multi-physics Modeling of Radiative Heat Transfer and Fluid Flow for the Reactor Cavity Cooling System
High-temperature gas-cooled reactors (HTGRs) are notable for their high thermal efficiency and potential for combined heat and power applications. These reactors are particularly appealing due to their advanced passive safety features. HTGRs utilize passive safety systems that function without requiring active components like pumps or compressors during emergencies. These reactor designs depend on a Reactor […]