Comparative investigation of temperature reactivity feedback coefficients in a pressurized water reactor (PWR) with Alumina (Al2O3) and Titania (TiO2) nano-fluids as coolant

Abstract

In the present work, using different volume percentages and different sizes of TiO2 (Titania) and Al2O3 (Alumina) nanoparticles, the important and essential parameters of VVER-1000 reactor, including dynamic parameters of the reactor (such as temperature reactivity coefficients) that play an important role in reactor dynamic analysis and core safety requirements are calculated. For this purpose, at first the equivalent cell of the fuel rod and the surrounding coolant nanofluid in the hexagonal fuel cell of the VVER-1000 reactor is determined. After that, thermohydraulic calculations are performed using the ANSYS FLUENT simulator software in different concentrations and sizes of nanoparticles to study their effect on the heat transfer coefficient, fuel, and coolant temperature parameters. Then, using WIMS and CITATION neutron computing codes, the reactor core is simulated. The effect of coolant nanofluid and fuel temperature changes on the effective multiplication factor is calculated and analyzed. The fuel and coolant temperature reactivity coefficients are determined. These coefficients are calculated by varying the concentration and size of nanoparticles in the coolant

Keywords

• pressurized water reactor (pwr)
• nano fluid
• temperature reactivity coefficients
• neutronics analysis
• thermal hydraulic analysis
• heat transfer coefficient