Sensitivity study of parameters important to Molten Salt Reactor Safety

Sarah Elizabeth Creasman; Visura Pathirana; Ondrej Chvala

doi:10.1016/j.net.2023.02.002

Sensitivity study of parameters important to Molten Salt Reactor Safety

Sarah Elizabeth Creasman
, Visura Pathirana
, Ondrej Chvala

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

6 Scopus citations

Abstract

This paper presents a molten salt reactor (MSR) design parameter sensitivity study using a nodal dynamic modelling methodology with explicitly modified point kinetics equation and Mann's model for heat transfer. Six parameters that can impact MSR safety are evaluated. A MATLAB-Simulink model inspired by Thorcon's 550MW_th MSR is used for parameter evaluations. A safety envelope was formed to encapsulate power, maximum and minimum temperature, and temperature-induced reactivity feedback. The parameters are perturbed by ±30%. The parameters were then ranked by their subsequent impact on the considered safety envelope, which ranks acceptable parameter uncertainty. The model is openly available on GitHub.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	1687-1707
Number of pages	21
Journal	Nuclear Engineering and Technology
Volume	55
Issue number	5
Early online date	May 2023
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.net.2023.02.002
State	Published - May 2023
Externally published	Yes

Keywords

Dynamics
MATLAB
Molten salt reactor
Multiphysics
Sensitivity analysis
Simulink
Uncertainty quantification

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10.1016/j.net.2023.02.002

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title = "Sensitivity study of parameters important to Molten Salt Reactor Safety",

abstract = "This paper presents a molten salt reactor (MSR) design parameter sensitivity study using a nodal dynamic modelling methodology with explicitly modified point kinetics equation and Mann's model for heat transfer. Six parameters that can impact MSR safety are evaluated. A MATLAB-Simulink model inspired by Thorcon's 550MWth MSR is used for parameter evaluations. A safety envelope was formed to encapsulate power, maximum and minimum temperature, and temperature-induced reactivity feedback. The parameters are perturbed by ±30\%. The parameters were then ranked by their subsequent impact on the considered safety envelope, which ranks acceptable parameter uncertainty. The model is openly available on GitHub.",

keywords = "Dynamics, MATLAB, Molten salt reactor, Multiphysics, Sensitivity analysis, Simulink, Uncertainty quantification",

author = "Creasman, \{Sarah Elizabeth\} and Visura Pathirana and Ondrej Chvala",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2023 Korean Nuclear Society",

year = "2023",

month = may,

doi = "10.1016/j.net.2023.02.002",

language = "English",

volume = "55",

pages = "1687--1707",

journal = "Nuclear Engineering and Technology",

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T1 - Sensitivity study of parameters important to Molten Salt Reactor Safety

AU - Creasman, Sarah Elizabeth

AU - Pathirana, Visura

AU - Chvala, Ondrej

PY - 2023/5

Y1 - 2023/5

N2 - This paper presents a molten salt reactor (MSR) design parameter sensitivity study using a nodal dynamic modelling methodology with explicitly modified point kinetics equation and Mann's model for heat transfer. Six parameters that can impact MSR safety are evaluated. A MATLAB-Simulink model inspired by Thorcon's 550MWth MSR is used for parameter evaluations. A safety envelope was formed to encapsulate power, maximum and minimum temperature, and temperature-induced reactivity feedback. The parameters are perturbed by ±30%. The parameters were then ranked by their subsequent impact on the considered safety envelope, which ranks acceptable parameter uncertainty. The model is openly available on GitHub.

AB - This paper presents a molten salt reactor (MSR) design parameter sensitivity study using a nodal dynamic modelling methodology with explicitly modified point kinetics equation and Mann's model for heat transfer. Six parameters that can impact MSR safety are evaluated. A MATLAB-Simulink model inspired by Thorcon's 550MWth MSR is used for parameter evaluations. A safety envelope was formed to encapsulate power, maximum and minimum temperature, and temperature-induced reactivity feedback. The parameters are perturbed by ±30%. The parameters were then ranked by their subsequent impact on the considered safety envelope, which ranks acceptable parameter uncertainty. The model is openly available on GitHub.

KW - Dynamics

KW - MATLAB

KW - Molten salt reactor

KW - Multiphysics

KW - Sensitivity analysis

KW - Simulink

KW - Uncertainty quantification

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85151485929

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DO - 10.1016/j.net.2023.02.002

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85151485929

SN - 1738-5733

VL - 55

SP - 1687

EP - 1707

JO - Nuclear Engineering and Technology

JF - Nuclear Engineering and Technology

IS - 5

ER -

Sensitivity study of parameters important to Molten Salt Reactor Safety

Abstract

Keywords

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