Concept Descriptions for the VTR Rabbit System and Driver Fuel Test Assemblies

Sean M. McDeavitt; David Wootan; Mark Kimber; Karen Vierow Kirkland; Luis H. Ortega; Delia Perez-Nunez; Pavel Tsvetkov; Jason Hearne; Abdullah Weiss; Saleem Drera; Nicolas E. Woolstenhulme

doi:10.1080/00295639.2023.2166765

Concept Descriptions for the VTR Rabbit System and Driver Fuel Test Assemblies

Sean M. McDeavitt
, David Wootan
, Mark Kimber
, Karen Vierow Kirkland
, Luis H. Ortega
, Delia Perez-Nunez
, Pavel Tsvetkov
, Jason Hearne
, Abdullah Weiss
, Saleem Drera
, Nicolas E. Woolstenhulme

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

Two of the experiment vehicles being developed for the Versatile Test Reactor (VTR) are presented here. The first is a rabbit system that will enable rapid insertion of small test capsules into the high fast flux of the VTR core for relatively short durations. The rabbit concept development includes the construction/demonstration of a near-full-scale system in a deep-water pool to demonstrate functionality, development of a concept of operations and initial procedures, and validation of thermal-hydraulic modeling. In addition, modeling efforts are underway to simulate the thermal and neutronic environment of a rabbit capsule. The second type of experiment vehicle presented here is a driver fuel test assembly for inserting fuel and materials tests into the core by replacing a driver fuel assembly. A novel design for dismountable test assemblies is proposed for the VTR.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	2840-2852
Number of pages	13
Journal	Nuclear Science and Engineering
Volume	197
Issue number	11
Early online date	Mar 1 2023
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1080/00295639.2023.2166765
State	Published - Mar 1 2023

Keywords

fast spectrum
sodium rabbit
test assembly
test reactor
VTR

INL Publication Number

INL/JOU-23-72155
152869

Access to Document

10.1080/00295639.2023.2166765

Cite this

@article{66a58427805541bf8ebb1abb64e40fea,

title = "Concept Descriptions for the VTR Rabbit System and Driver Fuel Test Assemblies",

abstract = "Two of the experiment vehicles being developed for the Versatile Test Reactor (VTR) are presented here. The first is a rabbit system that will enable rapid insertion of small test capsules into the high fast flux of the VTR core for relatively short durations. The rabbit concept development includes the construction/demonstration of a near-full-scale system in a deep-water pool to demonstrate functionality, development of a concept of operations and initial procedures, and validation of thermal-hydraulic modeling. In addition, modeling efforts are underway to simulate the thermal and neutronic environment of a rabbit capsule. The second type of experiment vehicle presented here is a driver fuel test assembly for inserting fuel and materials tests into the core by replacing a driver fuel assembly. A novel design for dismountable test assemblies is proposed for the VTR.",

keywords = "fast spectrum, sodium rabbit, test assembly, test reactor, VTR",

author = "McDeavitt, \{Sean M.\} and David Wootan and Mark Kimber and Kirkland, \{Karen Vierow\} and Ortega, \{Luis H.\} and Delia Perez-Nunez and Pavel Tsvetkov and Jason Hearne and Abdullah Weiss and Saleem Drera and Woolstenhulme, \{Nicolas E.\}",

note = "Funding Information: This work was conducted in conjunction with the VTR project and is based upon work supported by the U.S. Department of Energy under prime contract number DE-AC07-05ID14517 to the Idaho National Laboratory. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication are preliminary and are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Department of Energy or the Idaho National Laboratory. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2023 American Nuclear Society.",

year = "2023",

month = mar,

day = "1",

doi = "10.1080/00295639.2023.2166765",

language = "English",

volume = "197",

pages = "2840--2852",

journal = "Nuclear Science and Engineering",

issn = "0029-5639",

publisher = "Taylor and Francis Ltd.",

number = "11",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Concept Descriptions for the VTR Rabbit System and Driver Fuel Test Assemblies

AU - McDeavitt, Sean M.

AU - Wootan, David

AU - Kimber, Mark

AU - Kirkland, Karen Vierow

AU - Ortega, Luis H.

AU - Perez-Nunez, Delia

AU - Tsvetkov, Pavel

AU - Hearne, Jason

AU - Weiss, Abdullah

AU - Drera, Saleem

AU - Woolstenhulme, Nicolas E.

N1 - Funding Information: This work was conducted in conjunction with the VTR project and is based upon work supported by the U.S. Department of Energy under prime contract number DE-AC07-05ID14517 to the Idaho National Laboratory. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication are preliminary and are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Department of Energy or the Idaho National Laboratory. Publisher Copyright: © 2023 American Nuclear Society.

PY - 2023/3/1

Y1 - 2023/3/1

N2 - Two of the experiment vehicles being developed for the Versatile Test Reactor (VTR) are presented here. The first is a rabbit system that will enable rapid insertion of small test capsules into the high fast flux of the VTR core for relatively short durations. The rabbit concept development includes the construction/demonstration of a near-full-scale system in a deep-water pool to demonstrate functionality, development of a concept of operations and initial procedures, and validation of thermal-hydraulic modeling. In addition, modeling efforts are underway to simulate the thermal and neutronic environment of a rabbit capsule. The second type of experiment vehicle presented here is a driver fuel test assembly for inserting fuel and materials tests into the core by replacing a driver fuel assembly. A novel design for dismountable test assemblies is proposed for the VTR.

AB - Two of the experiment vehicles being developed for the Versatile Test Reactor (VTR) are presented here. The first is a rabbit system that will enable rapid insertion of small test capsules into the high fast flux of the VTR core for relatively short durations. The rabbit concept development includes the construction/demonstration of a near-full-scale system in a deep-water pool to demonstrate functionality, development of a concept of operations and initial procedures, and validation of thermal-hydraulic modeling. In addition, modeling efforts are underway to simulate the thermal and neutronic environment of a rabbit capsule. The second type of experiment vehicle presented here is a driver fuel test assembly for inserting fuel and materials tests into the core by replacing a driver fuel assembly. A novel design for dismountable test assemblies is proposed for the VTR.

KW - fast spectrum

KW - sodium rabbit

KW - test assembly

KW - test reactor

KW - VTR

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85149399948

UR - https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/2eca0a43-52de-3bbe-a815-9209f1a834df/

U2 - 10.1080/00295639.2023.2166765

DO - 10.1080/00295639.2023.2166765

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85149399948

SN - 0029-5639

VL - 197

SP - 2840

EP - 2852

JO - Nuclear Science and Engineering

JF - Nuclear Science and Engineering

IS - 11

ER -

Concept Descriptions for the VTR Rabbit System and Driver Fuel Test Assemblies

Abstract

Keywords

INL Publication Number

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this