A High Temperature, non-TRISO Fuel and Clad Design with Commercial-Grade Enrichment for the Prismatic Block Very High Temperature Reactor

The prismatic block Very High Temperature Reactor (VHTR) is a leading Generation IV reactor concept. This reactor with its relatively low core power density and large graphite mass currently satisfies the fundamental goals of the Generation IV charter. However, modifications can be made to the fuel and clad design, such that (1) VHTR uranium enrichment can be lowered to near commercial-grade pressurized water reactor (PWR) enrichments, (2) fuel burnups are extended, and (3) the thermal safety margin under transient conditions is increased. This paper outlines a possible fuel and clad design concept for use in a VHTR prismatic block core which could lead to substantial improvements in overall VHTR economics and sustainability. The results of depletion calculations here will demonstrate comparable burnup between the new fuel and clad design with only 4-6 wt% enriched uranium and the current higher enriched 10-20 wt% VHTR fuel design. In addition, the new fuel and clad design concept uses high-temperature ceramic fuel and clad materials that have the potential to significantly increase the thermal margin under VHTR transient conditions. The current fuel block design for the VHTR is the hexagonal Fort Saint Vrain (FSV) fuel block with 108 coolant channels, 210 fuel rods, and six burnable poison holes drilled axially in the block. This basic FSV block is also part of the new design concept here. The basic hexagonal block dimensions remain fixed with only the fuel pellet and clad materials and radii changed. Further optimizations of the fuel block are in progress. Currently, the proposed nuclear fuel for the prismatic VHTR is the well-known TRISO-coated particle fuel. The TRISO-coated particle offers a nice spherical, high-integrity pressure vessel containment for the fission gases (SiC layer). However, due to the multiple particle coating layers, the fuel kernel represents only 9.4% of the total particle volume (350 {micro}m kernel diameter particle) and together with the 35% packing fraction limitation in the fuel compacts, uranium loading in the fuel rods is not only very inefficient but, at VHTR uranium loadings, results in a strongly under-moderated condition in the core that translates into a large reactivity and burnup penalty

Low-Enriched Fuel Design Concept for the Prismatic Very High Temperature Reactor Core

A new non-TRISO fuel and clad design concept is proposed for the prismatic, heliumcooled Very High Temperature Reactor core. The new concept could substantially reduce the current 10-20 wt% TRISO uranium enrichments down to 4-6 wt% for both initial and reload cores. The proposed fuel form would be a high-temperature, high-density uranium ceramic, for example UO2, configured into very small diameter cylindrical rods. The small diameter fuel rods significantly increase core reactivity through improved neutron moderation and fuel lumping. Although a high-temperature clad system for the concept remains to be developed, recent success in tube fabrication and preliminary irradiation testing of silicon carbide (SiC) cladding for light water reactor applications offers good potential for this application, and for future development of other carbide clad designs. A high-temperature ceramic fuel, together with a high-temperature clad material, could also lead to higher thermal safety margins during both normal and transient reactor conditions relative to TRISO fuel. The calculated neutronic results show that the lowenrichment, small diameter fuel rods and low thermal neutron absorbing clad retain the strong negative Doppler fuel temperature coefficient of reactivity that ensures inherent safe operation of the VHTR, and depletion studies demonstrate that an 18-month power cycle can be achieved with the lower enrichment fuel

Calculated Neutron and Gamma-ray Spectra across the Prismatic Very High Temperature Reactor Core

Neutron and gamma-ray flux spectra are calculated using the MCNP5 computer code and a one-sixth core model of a prismatic Very High Temperature Reactor based on the General Atomics Gas Turbine-Modular Helium Reactor. Spectra are calculated in the five inner reflector graphite block rings, three annular active core fuel rings, three outer graphite reflector block rings, and the core barrel. The neutron spectra are block and fuel pin averages and are calculated as a function of temperature and burnup. Also provided are the total, fast, and thermal radial profile fluxes and core barrel dpa rates

A Second Look at Neutron Resonance Transmission Analysis as a Spent Fuel NDA Technique

Many different nondestructive analysis techniques are currently being investigated as a part of the United States Department of Energy's Next Generation Safeguards Initiative (NGSI) seeking methods to quantify plutonium in spent fuel. Neutron Resonance Transmission Analysis (NRTA) is one of these techniques. Having first been explored in the mid-1970s for the analysis of individual spent-fuel pins a second look, using advanced simulation and modeling methods, is now underway to investigate the suitability of the NRTA technique for assaying complete spent nuclear fuel assemblies. The technique is similar to neutron time-of-flight methods used for cross-section determinations but operates over only the narrow 0.1-20 eV range where strong, distinguishable resonances exist for both the plutonium (239, 240, 241,242Pu) and uranium (235,236,238U) isotopes of interest in spent fuel. Additionally, in this energy range resonances exists for six important fission products (99Tc, 103Rh, 131Xe, 133Cs, 145Nd, and 152Sm) which provide additional information to support spent fuel plutonium assay determinations. Initial modeling shows excellent agreement with previously published experimental data for measurements of individual spent-fuel pins where plutonium assays were demonstrated to have a precision of 2-4%. Within the simulation and modeling analyses of this project scoping studies have explored fourteen different aspects of the technique including the neutron source, drift tube configurations, and gross neutron transmission as well as the impacts of fuel burn up, cooling time, and fission-product interferences. These results show that NRTA may be a very capable experimental technique for spent-fuel assay measurements. The results suggest sufficient transmission strength and signal differentiability is possible for assays through up to 8 pins. For an 8-pin assay (looking at an assembly diagonally), 64% of the pins in a typical 17 ? 17 array of a pressurized water reactor fuel assembly can be part of a complete transmission assay measurement with high precision. Analysis of rows with up to 12 pins may also be feasible but with diminished precision. Preliminary data analysis of an NRTA simulation has demonstrated the simplicity of the technique

Plutonium Discharge Rates and Spent Nuclear Fuel Inventory Estimates for Nuclear Reactors Worldwide

This report presents a preliminary survey and analysis of the five primary types of commercial nuclear power reactors currently in use around the world. Plutonium mass discharge rates from the reactors’ spent fuel at reload are estimated based on a simple methodology that is able to use limited reactor burnup and operational characteristics collected from a variety of public domain sources. Selected commercial reactor operating and nuclear core characteristics are also given for each reactor type. In addition to the worldwide commercial reactors survey, a materials test reactor survey was conducted to identify reactors of this type with a significant core power rating. Over 100 material or research reactors with a core power rating >1 MW fall into this category. Fuel characteristics and spent fuel inventories for these material test reactors are also provided herein

Reactor Physics Parametric and Depletion Studies in Support of TRISO Particle Fuel Specification for the Next Generation Nuclear Plant

Reactor physics calculations were initiated to answer several major questions related to the proposed TRISO-coated particle fuel that is to be used in the prismatic Very High Temperature Reactor (VHTR) or the Next Generation Nuclear Plant (NGNP). These preliminary design evaluation calculations help ensure that the upcoming fuel irradiation tests will test appropriate size and type of fuel particles for a future NGNP reactor design. Conclusions from these calculations are expected to confirm and suggest possible modifications to the current particle fuel parameters specified in the evolving Fuel Specification. Calculated results dispel the need for a binary fuel particle system, which is proposed in the General Atomics GT-MHR concept. The GT-MHR binary system is composed of both a fissile and fertile particle with 350- and 500- micron kernel diameters, respectively. For the NGNP reactor, a single fissile particle system (single UCO kernel size) can meet the reactivity and power cycle length requirements demanded of the NGNP. At the same time, it will provide substantial programmatic cost savings by eliminating the need for dual particle fabrication process lines and dual fuel particle irradiation tests required of a binary system. Use of a larger 425-micron kernel diameter single fissile particle (proposed here), as opposed to the 350-micron GT-MHR fissile particle size, helps alleviate current compact particle packing fractions fabrication limitations (<35%), improves fuel block loading for higher n-batch reload options, and tracks the historical correlation between particle size and enrichment (10 and 14 wt% U-235 particle enrichments are proposed for the NGNP). Overall, the use of the slightly larger kernel significantly broadens the NGNP reactor core design envelope and provides increased design margin to accommodate the (as yet) unknown final NGNP reactor design. Maximum power-peaking factors are calculated for both the initial and equilibrium NGNP cores. Radial power-peaking can be fully controlled with particle packing fraction zoning (no enrichment zoning required) and discrete burnable poison rods. Optimally loaded NGNP cores can expect radial powerpeaking factors as low as 1.14 at beginning of cycle (BOC), increasing slowly to a value of 1.25 by end of cycle (EOC), an axial power-peaking value of 1.30 (BOC), and for individual fuel particles in the maximum compact <1.05 (BOC) and an approximate value of 1.20 (EOC) due to Pu-239 buildup in particles on the compact periphery. The NGNP peak particle powers, using a conservative total power-peaking factor (~2.1 factor), are expected to be <150 mW/particle (well below the 250 mW/particle limit, even with the larger 425-micron kernel size)

HTR-PROTEUS Pebble Bed Experimental Program Cores 1, 1A, 2, and 3: Hexagonal Close Packing with a 1:2 Moderator-to-Fuel Pebble Ratio

In its deployment as a pebble bed reactor (PBR) critical facility from 1992 to 1996, the PROTEUS facility was designated as HTR-PROTEUS. This experimental program was performed as part of an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Coordinated Research Project (CRP) on the Validation of Safety Related Physics Calculations for Low Enriched HTGRs. Within this project, critical experiments were conducted for graphite moderated LEU systems to determine core reactivity, flux and power profiles, reaction-rate ratios, the worth of control rods, both in-core and reflector based, the worth of burnable poisons, kinetic parameters, and the effects of moisture ingress on these parameters. Four benchmark experiments were evaluated in this report: Cores 1, 1A, 2, and 3. These core configurations represent the hexagonal close packing (HCP) configurations of the HTR-PROTEUS experiment with a moderator-to-fuel pebble ratio of 1:2. Core 1 represents the only configuration utilizing ZEBRA control rods. Cores 1A, 2, and 3 use withdrawable, hollow, stainless steel control rods. Cores 1 and 1A are similar except for the use of different control rods; Core 1A also has one less layer of pebbles (21 layers instead of 22). Core 2 retains the first 16 layers of pebbles from Cores 1 and 1A and has 16 layers of moderator pebbles stacked above the fueled layers. Core 3 retains the first 17 layers of pebbles but has polyethylene rods inserted between pebbles to simulate water ingress. The additional partial pebble layer (layer 18) for Core 3 was not included as it was used for core operations and not the reported critical configuration. Cores 1, 1A, 2, and 3 were determined to be acceptable benchmark experiments

NGNP Point Design - Results of the Initial Neutronics and Thermal-Hydraulic Assessments During FY-03, Rev. 1

This report presents the preliminary preconceptual designs for two possible versions of the Next Generation Nuclear Plant (NGNP), one for a prismatic fuel type helium gas-cooled reactor and one for a pebble bed fuel helium gas reactor. Both designs are to meet three basic requirements: a coolant outlet temperature of 1000 °C, passive safety, and a total power output consistent with that expected for commercial high-temperature gas-cooled reactors. The two efforts are discussed separately below. The analytical results presented in this report are very promising, however, we wish to caution the reader that future, more detailed, design work will be needed to provide final answers to a number of key questions including the allowable power level, the inlet temperature, the power density, the optimum fuel form, and others. The point design work presented in this report provides a starting point for other evaluations, and directions for the detailed design, but not final answers

Next Generation Nuclear Plant Methods Technical Program Plan

One of the great challenges of designing and licensing the Very High Temperature Reactor (VHTR) is to confirm that the intended VHTR analysis tools can be used confidently to make decisions and to assure all that the reactor systems are safe and meet the performance objectives of the Generation IV Program. The research and development (R&D) projects defined in the Next Generation Nuclear Plant (NGNP) Design Methods Development and Validation Program will ensure that the tools used to perform the required calculations and analyses can be trusted. The Methods R&D tasks are designed to ensure that the calculational envelope of the tools used to analyze the VHTR reactor systems encompasses, or is larger than, the operational and transient envelope of the VHTR itself. The Methods R&D focuses on the development of tools to assess the neutronic and thermal fluid behavior of the plant. The fuel behavior and fission product transport models are discussed in the Advanced Gas Reactor (AGR) program plan. Various stress analysis and mechanical design tools will also need to be developed and validated and will ultimately also be included in the Methods R&D Program Plan. The calculational envelope of the neutronics and thermal-fluids software tools intended to be used on the NGNP is defined by the scenarios and phenomena that these tools can calculate with confidence. The software tools can only be used confidently when the results they produce have been shown to be in reasonable agreement with first-principle results, thought-problems, and data that describe the “highly ranked” phenomena inherent in all operational conditions and important accident scenarios for the VHTR

Next Generation Nuclear Plant Methods Technical Program Plan

One of the great challenges of designing and licensing the Very High Temperature Reactor (VHTR) is to confirm that the intended VHTR analysis tools can be used confidently to make decisions and to assure all that the reactor systems are safe and meet the performance objectives of the Generation IV Program. The research and development (R&D) projects defined in the Next Generation Nuclear Plant (NGNP) Design Methods Development and Validation Program will ensure that the tools used to perform the required calculations and analyses can be trusted. The Methods R&D tasks are designed to ensure that the calculational envelope of the tools used to analyze the VHTR reactor systems encompasses, or is larger than, the operational and transient envelope of the VHTR itself. The Methods R&D focuses on the development of tools to assess the neutronic and thermal fluid behavior of the plant. The fuel behavior and fission product transport models are discussed in the Advanced Gas Reactor (AGR) program plan. Various stress analysis and mechanical design tools will also need to be developed and validated and will ultimately also be included in the Methods R&D Program Plan. The calculational envelope of the neutronics and thermal-fluids software tools intended to be used on the NGNP is defined by the scenarios and phenomena that these tools can calculate with confidence. The software tools can only be used confidently when the results they produce have been shown to be in reasonable agreement with first-principle results, thought-problems, and data that describe the “highly ranked” phenomena inherent in all operational conditions and important accident scenarios for the VHTR