Porosity Effect in the Core Thermal Hydraulics for Ultra High Temperature Gas-cooled Reactor

Abstract

This study presents an experimental method of porosity evaluation and a predictive thermal-hydraulic analysis with packed spheres in a nuclear reactor core. The porosity experiments were carried out in both a fully shaken state with the closest possible packing and in a state of non-vibration. The predictive analysis considering the fixed porosity value was applied as a design condition for an Ultra High Temperature Reactor Experiment (UHTREX). The thermal-hydraulic computer code was developed and identified as PEBTEMP. The highest outlet coolant temperature of 1316 oC was achieved in the case of an UHTREX at Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory, which was a small scale UHTR. In the present study, the fuel was changed to a pebble type, a porous media. In order to compare the present pebble bed reactor and UHTREX, a calculation based on HTGR-GT300 was carried out in similar conditions with UHTREX; in other words, with an inlet coolant temperature of 871oC, system pressure of 3.45 MPa and power density of 1.3 w/cm3. As a result, the fuel temperature in the present pebble bed reactor showed an extremely lower value compared to that of UHTREX.

Keywords

• Pebble Type Fuel
• Thermal Hydraulics
• Porosity
• Ultra High Temperature Nuclear Reactor (uhtr)