TY - JOUR
T1 - Computational fluid dynamics assessment of the Helium-3 Enhanced Negative Reactivity Insertion (HENRI) system for the Transient REActor Test (TREAT) facility
AU - Balderrama Prieto, Silvino A.
AU - Mignot, Guillaume P.H.
AU - Marcum, Wade R.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 Elsevier B.V.
PY - 2021/8/15
Y1 - 2021/8/15
N2 - The Transient REActor Test facility (TREAT) is an air-cooled, graphite moderated nuclear reactor that is used for irradiation testing of nuclear fuels and materials. The shutdown of the Halden reactor in Norway lead to an increased interest of an indigenous nuclear facility that can perform Reactivity Initiated Accident (RIA) tests for Light Water Reactors (LWRs). Idaho National Laboratory (INL) has been leading the effort of making minor modifications to the TREAT facility to enhance its testing capabilities so it can mimic the neutronic boundary conditions representative of a RIA for a LWR. The power burst of the TREAT reactor needs to be shortened from 89 to 40 msec. to properly irradiate the fuel sample under RIA conditions. INL has proposed to use helium-3, a strong neutron absorber, as a form of negative reactivity to shorten the pulse of the reactor. In support of the development of a transient control rod for the TREAT, a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model is needed to confidently simulate the density evolution of helium-3 in this system.
AB - The Transient REActor Test facility (TREAT) is an air-cooled, graphite moderated nuclear reactor that is used for irradiation testing of nuclear fuels and materials. The shutdown of the Halden reactor in Norway lead to an increased interest of an indigenous nuclear facility that can perform Reactivity Initiated Accident (RIA) tests for Light Water Reactors (LWRs). Idaho National Laboratory (INL) has been leading the effort of making minor modifications to the TREAT facility to enhance its testing capabilities so it can mimic the neutronic boundary conditions representative of a RIA for a LWR. The power burst of the TREAT reactor needs to be shortened from 89 to 40 msec. to properly irradiate the fuel sample under RIA conditions. INL has proposed to use helium-3, a strong neutron absorber, as a form of negative reactivity to shorten the pulse of the reactor. In support of the development of a transient control rod for the TREAT, a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model is needed to confidently simulate the density evolution of helium-3 in this system.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85106663525&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.nucengdes.2021.111283
DO - 10.1016/j.nucengdes.2021.111283
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85106663525
SN - 0029-5493
VL - 380
JO - Nuclear Engineering and Design
JF - Nuclear Engineering and Design
M1 - 111283
ER -