Multi-Physics Simulation of the E-FUTURE-1 Fuel Irradiation Experiment

A.M. Tentner, A. Bergeron, Y.S. Kim, G.L. Hofman, J.G. Stevens, Sven Van den Berghe

    Research outputpeer-review

    Abstract

    A Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model based on the STAR-CD code and a model for the simulation of UMo dispersion Fuel Behavior (FB) are used at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) for the multi-physics analysis of the E-FUTURE-1 fuel irradiation experiments conducted in the BR2 reactor at SCK•CEN in Belgium. The E-FUTURE-1 experiment irradiated four full sized fuel plates at maximum local heat fluxes of 470 W/cm2 at Beginning of Life (BOL). Each plate contained dispersed UMo in an Al matrix with a different Si content and/or exposed to a different thermal treatment. The examination of the irradiated fuel plates has yielded valuable data for the model validation. The CFD calculations provide the time dependent cladding and fuel temperatures needed by the fuel behavior code. The occurrence of fuel swelling during irradiation leads to significant changes in the fuel plate geometry and fuel conductivity, which are used by the CFD model to update the fuel temperatures. The integrated multi-physics simulation uses the power generation history to describe the time dependent evolution of the fuel temperature, plate geometry, and fuel composition during the experiment. The models and the model integration strategy are described.
    Original languageEnglish
    Title of host publicationProceedings of the 2012 International Reduced Enrichment for Research and Test Reactors meeting
    Place of PublicationUnited States
    StatePublished - Oct 2012
    EventReduced Enrichment for Research and Test Reactors (RERTR) - Warsaw
    Duration: 14 Oct 201217 Oct 2012

    Conference

    ConferenceReduced Enrichment for Research and Test Reactors (RERTR)
    Country/TerritoryPoland
    CityWarsaw
    Period2012-10-142012-10-17

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