Thermal hydraulic and fuel performance analysis for innovative small light water reactor using VIPRE-01 and FRAPCON-3

• Main Author: Mai, Anh T.
• Other Authors: Woods, Brian G.
• Language: en_US
• Published: 2012
• Subjects: MASLWR; Small Reactors; SMR; Fuel Performance; Thermal Hydraulic Analysis; VIPRE; FRAPCON; MASLWR Test Facility; Small Light Water Reactors; core designs; Light water reactors > Evaluation; Light water reactors > Design and construction; Pressurized water reactors > Evaluation; Pressurized water reactors > Design and construction
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/1957/26964

The Multi-Application Small Light Water Reactor (MASLWR) is a small natural circulation pressurized light water reactor design that was developed by Oregon State University (OSU) and Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL) under the Nuclear Energy Research Initiative (NERI) program to address the growing demand for energy and electricity. The MASLWR design is geared toward providing electricity to small communities in remote locations in developing countries where constructions of large nuclear power plants are not economical. The MASLWR reactor is designed to operate for five years without refueling and with fuel enrichment up to 8 %. In 2003, an experimental thermal hydraulic research facility also known as the OSU MASLWR Test Facility was constructed at Oregon State University to examined the performance of new reactor design and natural circulation reactor design concepts. This thesis is focused on the thermal hydraulics analysis and fuel performance analysis of the MASLWR prototypical cores with fuel enrichment of 4.25 % and 8 %. The goals of the thermal hydraulic analyses were to calculate the departure nucleate boiling ratio (DNBR) values, coolant temperature, cladding temperature and fuel temperature profiles in the hot channel of the reactor cores. The thermal hydraulic analysis was performed for steady state operation of the MASLWR prototypical cores. VIPRE Version 01 is the code used for all the computational modeling of the prototypical cores during thermal hydraulic analysis. The hot channel and hot rod results are compared with thermal design limits to determine the feasibility of the prototypical cores. The second level of analysis was performed with a fuel performance code FRAPCON for the limiting MASLWR fuel rods identified by the neutronic and thermal hydraulic analyses. The goals of the fuel performance analyses were to calculate the oxide thickness on the cladding and fission gas release (FGR). The oxide thickness results are compared with the acceptable design limits for standard fuel rods. The results in this research can be helpful for future core designs of small light water reactors with natural circulation. === Graduation date: 2012