As-Run Thermal Analysis of the GTL-1 Experiment Irradiated in the ATR South Flux Trap

The GTL-1 experiment was conducted to assess corrosion the performance of the proposed Boosted Fast Flux Loop booster fuel at heat flux levels {approx}30% above the design operating condition. Sixteen miniplates fabricated from 25% enriched, high-density U3Si2/Al dispersion fuel with 6061 aluminum cladding were subjected to peak beginning of cycle (BOC) heat fluxes ranging from 411 W/cm2 to 593 W/cm2. Miniplates fabricated with three different fuel variations (without fines, annealed, and with standard powder) performed equally well, with negligible irradiation-induced swelling and a normal fission density gradient. Both the standard and the modified prefilm procedures produced hydroxide films that adequately protected the miniplates from failure. A detailed finite element model was constructed to calculate temperatures and heat flux for an as-run cycle average effective south lobe power of 25.4 MW(t). Results of the thermal analysis are given at four times during the cycle: BOC at 0 effective full power days (EFPD), middle of cycle (MOC) at 18 EFPD, MOC at 36 EFPD, and end of cycle at 48.9 EFPD. The highest temperatures and heat fluxes occur at the BOC and decrease in a linear manner throughout the cycle. Miniplate heat flux levels and fuel, cladding, hydroxide, and coolant-hydroxide interface temperatures were calculated using the average measured hydroxide thickness on each miniplate. The hydroxide layers are the largest on miniplates nearest to the core midplane, where heat flux and temperature are highest. The hydroxide layer thickness averages 20.4 {mu}m on the six hottest miniplates (B3, B4, C1, C2, C3, and C4). This tends to exacerbate the heating of these miniplates, since a thicker hydroxide layer reduces the heat transfer from the fuel to the coolant. These six hottest miniplates have the following thermal characteristics at BOC: (1) Peak fuel centerline temperature >300 C; (2) Peak cladding temperature >200 C; (3) Peak hydroxide temperature >190 C; (4) Peak hydroxide-water interface temperature >140 C; and (5) Peak heat flux >565 W/cm2

Computational Flow Predictions for the Lower Plenum of a High-Temperature, Gas-Cooled Reactor

Advanced gas-cooled reactors offer the potential advantage of higher efficiency and enhanced safety over present day nuclear reactors. Accurate simulation models of these Generation IV reactors are necessary for design and licensing. One design under consideration by the Very High Temperature Reactor (VHTR) program is a modular, prismatic gas-cooled reactor. In this reactor, the lower plenum region may experience locally high temperatures that can adversely impact the plant’s structural integrity. Since existing system analysis codes cannot capture the complex flow effects occurring in the lower plenum, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) codes are being employed to model these flows [1]. The goal of the present study is to validate the CFD calculations using experimental data

Assessment of Feasibility of the Beneficial Use of Waste Heat from the Advanced Test Reactor

This report investigates the feasibility of using waste heat from the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR). A proposed glycol waste heat recovery system was assessed for technical and economic feasibility. The system under consideration would use waste heat from the ATR secondary coolant system to preheat air for space heating of TRA-670. A tertiary coolant stream would be extracted from the secondary coolant system loop and pumped to a new plate and frame heat exchanger, where heat would be transferred to a glycol loop for preheating outdoor air in the heating and ventilation system. Historical data from Advanced Test Reactor operations over the past 10 years indicates that heat from the reactor coolant was available (when needed for heating) for 43.5% of the year on average. Potential energy cost savings by using the waste heat to preheat intake air is $242K/yr. Technical, safety, and logistics considerations of the glycol waste heat recovery system are outlined. Other opportunities for using waste heat and reducing water usage at ATR are considered

THERMAL PERFORMANCE OF A FAST NEUTRON TEST CONCEPT FOR THE ADVANCED TEST REACTOR

Since 1967, the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) located at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) has provided state-of-the-art experimental irradiation testing capability. A unique design is investigated herein for the purpose of providing a fast neutron flux test capability in the ATR. This new test capability could be brought on line in approximately 5 or 6 years, much sooner than a new test reactor could be built, to provide an interim fast-flux test capability in the timeframe before a fast-flux research reactor could be built. The proposed cost for this system is approximately $63M, much less than the cost of a new fast-flux test reactor. A concept has been developed to filter out a large portion of the thermal flux component by using a thermally conductive neutron absorber block. The objective of this study is to determine the feasibility of this experiment cooling concept

As-Run Thermal Analysis of the GTL-1 Experiment Irradiated in the ATR South Flux Trap

The GTL-1 experiment was conducted to assess corrosion the performance of the proposed Boosted Fast Flux Loop booster fuel at heat flux levels {approx}30% above the design operating condition. Sixteen miniplates fabricated from 25% enriched, high-density U3Si2/Al dispersion fuel with 6061 aluminum cladding were subjected to peak beginning of cycle (BOC) heat fluxes ranging from 411 W/cm2 to 593 W/cm2. Miniplates fabricated with three different fuel variations (without fines, annealed, and with standard powder) performed equally well, with negligible irradiation-induced swelling and a normal fission density gradient. Both the standard and the modified prefilm procedures produced hydroxide films that adequately protected the miniplates from failure. A detailed finite element model was constructed to calculate temperatures and heat flux for an as-run cycle average effective south lobe power of 25.4 MW(t). Results of the thermal analysis are given at four times during the cycle: BOC at 0 effective full power days (EFPD), middle of cycle (MOC) at 18 EFPD, MOC at 36 EFPD, and end of cycle at 48.9 EFPD. The highest temperatures and heat fluxes occur at the BOC and decrease in a linear manner throughout the cycle. Miniplate heat flux levels and fuel, cladding, hydroxide, and coolant-hydroxide interface temperatures were calculated using the average measured hydroxide thickness on each miniplate. The hydroxide layers are the largest on miniplates nearest to the core midplane, where heat flux and temperature are highest. The hydroxide layer thickness averages 20.4 {mu}m on the six hottest miniplates (B3, B4, C1, C2, C3, and C4). This tends to exacerbate the heating of these miniplates, since a thicker hydroxide layer reduces the heat transfer from the fuel to the coolant. These six hottest miniplates have the following thermal characteristics at BOC: (1) Peak fuel centerline temperature >300 C; (2) Peak cladding temperature >200 C; (3) Peak hydroxide temperature >190 C; (4) Peak hydroxide-water interface temperature >140 C; and (5) Peak heat flux >565 W/cm2

Multiphysics Integrated Coupling Environment (MICE) User Manual

The complex, multi-part nature of waste glass melters used in nuclear waste vitrification poses significant modeling challenges. The focus of this project has been to couple a 1D MATLAB model of the cold cap region within a melter with a 3D STAR-CCM+ model of the melter itself. The Multiphysics Integrated Coupling Environment (MICE) has been developed to create a cohesive simulation of a waste glass melter that accurately represents the cold cap. The one-dimensional mathematical model of the cold cap uses material properties, axial heat, and mass fluxes to obtain a temperature profile for the cold cap, the region where feed-to-glass conversion occurs. The results from Matlab are used to update simulation data in the three-dimensional STAR-CCM+ model so that the cold cap is appropriately incorporated into the 3D simulation. The two processes are linked through ModelCenter integration software using time steps that are specified for each process. Data is to be exchanged circularly between the two models, as the inputs and outputs of each model depend on the other

Specification of Surface Roughness for Hydraulic Flow Test Plates

A study was performed to determine the surface roughness of the corrosion layer on aluminum clad booster fuel plates for the proposed Gas Test Loop (GTL) system to be incorporated into the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) at the Idaho National Laboratory. A layer of boehmite (a crystalline, non-porous gamma-alumina hydrate) is typically pre-formed on the surface of the fuel cladding prior to exposure to reactor operation to prevent the uncontrolled buildup of corrosion product on the surface. A representative sample coupon autoclaved with the ATR driver fuel to produce the boehmite layer was analyzed using optical profilometry to determine the mean surface roughness, a parameter that can have significant impact on the coolant flow past the fuel plates. This information was used to specify the surface finish of mockup fuel plates for a hydraulic flow test model. The purpose of the flow test is to obtain loss coefficients describing the resistance of the coolant flow paths, which are necessary for accurate thermal hydraulic analyses of the water-cooled booster fuel assembly. It is recommended that the surface roughness of the boehmite layer on the fuel cladding be replicated for the flow test. While it is very important to know the order of magnitude of the surface roughness, this value does not need to be matched exactly. Maintaining a reasonable dimensional tolerance for the surface finish on each side of the 12 mockup fuel plates would ensure relative uniformity in the flow among the four coolant channels. Results obtained from thermal hydraulic analyses indicate that ±15% deviation from a surface finish (i.e., Ra) of 0.53 ìm would have a minimal effect on coolant temperature, coolant flow rate, and fuel temperature

REVIEW OF EXPERIMENTAL CAPABILITIES AND HYDRODYNAMIC DATA FOR VALIDATION OF CFD BASED PREDICTIONS FOR SLURRY BUBBLE COLUMN REACTORS

The purpose of this paper is to document the review of several open-literature sources of both experimental capabilities and published hydrodynamic data to aid in the validation of a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) based model of a slurry bubble column (SBC). The review included searching the Web of Science, ISI Proceedings, and Inspec databases, internet searches as well as other open literature sources. The goal of this study was to identify available experimental facilities and relevant data. Integral (i.e., pertaining to the SBC system), as well as fundamental (i.e., separate effects are considered), data are included in the scope of this effort. The fundamental data is needed to validate the individual mechanistic models or closure laws used in a Computational Multiphase Fluid Dynamics (CMFD) simulation of a SBC. The fundamental data is generally focused on simple geometries (i.e., flow between parallel plates or cylindrical pipes) or custom-designed tests to focus on selected interfacial phenomena. Integral data covers the operation of a SBC as a system with coupled effects. This work highlights selected experimental capabilities and data for the purpose of SBC model validation, and is not meant to be an exhaustive summary

Oxidation Behavior of In-Flight Molten Aluminum Droplets in the Twin-Wire Electric Arc Thermal Spray Process

This paper examines the in-flight oxidation of molten aluminum sprayed in air using the twin-wire electric arc (TWEA) thermal spray process. The oxidation reaction of aluminum in air is highly exothermic and is represented by a heat generation term in the energy balance. Aerodynamic shear at the droplet surface enhances the amount of in-flight oxidation by: (1) promoting entrainment and mixing of the surface oxides within the droplet, and (2) causing a continuous heat generation effect that increases droplet temperature over that of a droplet without internal circulation. This continual source of heat input keeps the droplets in a liquid state during flight. A linear rate law based on the Mott-Cabrera theory was used to estimate the growth of the surface oxide layer formed during droplet flight. The calculated oxide volume fraction of an average droplet at impact agrees well with the experimentally determined oxide content for a typical TWEA-sprayed aluminum coating, which ranges from 3.3 to 12.7%. An explanation is provided for the elevated, nearly constant surface temperature (~ 2000 oC) of the droplets during flight to the substrate and shows that the majority of oxide content in the coating is produced during flight, rather than after deposition