Modeling and Performance of the MHTGR (Modular High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor) Reactor Cavity Cooling System

Modeling and Performance of the MHTGR (Modular High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor) Reactor Cavity Cooling System PDF Author:
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ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 27

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The Reactor Cavity Cooling System (RCCS) of the Modular High- Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor (MHTGR) proposed by the U.S. Department of Energy is designed to remove the nuclear afterheat passively in the event that neither the heat transport system nor the shutdown cooling circulator subsystem is available. A computer dynamic simulation for the physical and mathematical modeling of and RCCS is described here. Two conclusions can be made form computations performed under the assumption of a uniform reactor vessel temperature. First, the heat transferred across the annulus from the reactor vessel and then to ambient conditions is very dependent on the surface emissivities of the reactor vessel and RCCS panels. These emissivities should be periodically checked to ensure the safety function of the RCCS. Second, the heat transfer from the reactor vessel is reduced by a maximum of 10% by the presence of steam at 1 atm in the reactor cavity annulus for an assumed constant in the transmission of radiant energy across the annulus can be expected to result in an increase in the reactor vessel temperature for the MHTGR. Further investigation of participating radiation media, including small particles, in the reactor cavity annulus is warranted. 26 refs., 7 figs., 1 tab.

Modeling and Performance of the MHTGR (Modular High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor) Reactor Cavity Cooling System

Modeling and Performance of the MHTGR (Modular High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor) Reactor Cavity Cooling System PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 27

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Book Description
The Reactor Cavity Cooling System (RCCS) of the Modular High- Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor (MHTGR) proposed by the U.S. Department of Energy is designed to remove the nuclear afterheat passively in the event that neither the heat transport system nor the shutdown cooling circulator subsystem is available. A computer dynamic simulation for the physical and mathematical modeling of and RCCS is described here. Two conclusions can be made form computations performed under the assumption of a uniform reactor vessel temperature. First, the heat transferred across the annulus from the reactor vessel and then to ambient conditions is very dependent on the surface emissivities of the reactor vessel and RCCS panels. These emissivities should be periodically checked to ensure the safety function of the RCCS. Second, the heat transfer from the reactor vessel is reduced by a maximum of 10% by the presence of steam at 1 atm in the reactor cavity annulus for an assumed constant in the transmission of radiant energy across the annulus can be expected to result in an increase in the reactor vessel temperature for the MHTGR. Further investigation of participating radiation media, including small particles, in the reactor cavity annulus is warranted. 26 refs., 7 figs., 1 tab.

Energy Research Abstracts

Energy Research Abstracts PDF Author:
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ISBN:
Category : Power resources
Languages : en
Pages : 586

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Book Description
Semiannual, with semiannual and annual indexes. References to all scientific and technical literature coming from DOE, its laboratories, energy centers, and contractors. Includes all works deriving from DOE, other related government-sponsored information, and foreign nonnuclear information. Arranged under 39 categories, e.g., Biomedical sciences, basic studies; Biomedical sciences, applied studies; Health and safety; and Fusion energy. Entry gives bibliographical information and abstract. Corporate, author, subject, report number indexes.

Modeling & Performance of the MHTGR Reactor Cavity Cooling System

Modeling & Performance of the MHTGR Reactor Cavity Cooling System PDF Author:
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ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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The Effect of Water Vapor in the Reactor Cavity in a MHTGR [Modular High Temperature Gas Cooled Reactor] on the Radiation Heat Transfer

The Effect of Water Vapor in the Reactor Cavity in a MHTGR [Modular High Temperature Gas Cooled Reactor] on the Radiation Heat Transfer PDF Author: M.W. Cappiello
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ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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Modular High-temperature Gas-cooled Reactor Short-term Thermal Response to Flow and Reactivity Transients

Modular High-temperature Gas-cooled Reactor Short-term Thermal Response to Flow and Reactivity Transients PDF Author:
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ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description
The research reported here has been conducted at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's Division of Regulatory Applications of the Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research. The short-term thermal response of the Modular High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor (MHTGR) is analyzed for a range of flow and reactivity transients. These transients include loss of forced circulation without scram, spurious withdrawal of a control rod group, moisture ingress, control rod and control rod group ejections, and a rapid core cooling event. For each event analyzed, an event description, a discussion of the analysis approach and assumptions, and results are presented. When possible, results of these analyses are compared with those presented by the designers in the MHTGR Preliminary Safety Information Document and in the MHTGR Probabilistic Risk Assessment. The importance of inherent safety features is illustrated, and conclusions are presented regarding the safety performance of the MHTGR. Recommendations are made for a more in-depth examination of MHTGR response for some of the analyzed transients. The coupled heat transfer-neutron kinetics model is described in detail in Appendix A.

The Modular High-temperature Gas-cooled Reactor (MHTGR).

The Modular High-temperature Gas-cooled Reactor (MHTGR). PDF Author:
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ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description
The MHTGR is an advanced reactor concept being developed in the USA under a cooperative program involving the US Government, the nuclear industry and the utilities. The design utilizes basic HTGR features of ceramic fuel, helium coolant and a graphite moderator. However the specific size and configuration are selected to utilize the inherently safe characteristics associated with these standard features coupled with passive safety systems to provide a significantly higher margin of safety and investment protection than current generation reactors. Evacuation or sheltering of the public is not required. The major components of the nuclear steam supply, with special emphasis on the core, are described. Safety assessments of the concept are discussed.

Thermal-Hydraulic Analysis of an Experimental Reactor Cavity Cooling System with Air. Part I

Thermal-Hydraulic Analysis of an Experimental Reactor Cavity Cooling System with Air. Part I PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 185

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Book Description
This experimental study investigates the thermal hydraulic behavior and the heat removal performance for a scaled Reactor Cavity Cooling System (RCCS) with air. A quarter-scale RCCS facility was designed and built based on a full-scale General Atomics (GA) RCCS design concept for the Modular High Temperature Gas Reactor (MHTGR). The GA RCCS is a passive cooling system that draws in air to use as the cooling fluid to remove heat radiated from the reactor pressure vessel to the air-cooled riser tubes and discharged the heated air into the atmosphere. Scaling laws were used to preserve key aspects and to maintain similarity. The scaled air RCCS facility at UW-Madison is a quarter-scale reduced length experiment housing six riser ducts that represent a 9.5° sector slice of the full-scale GA air RCCS concept. Radiant heaters were used to simulate the heat radiation from the reactor pressure vessel. The maximum power that can be achieved with the radiant heaters is 40 kW with a peak heat flux of 25 kW per meter squared. The quarter-scale RCCS was run under different heat loading cases and operated successfully. Instabilities were observed in some experiments in which one of the two exhaust ducts experienced a flow reversal for a period of time. The data and analysis presented show that the RCCS has promising potential to be a decay heat removal system during an accident scenario.

MHTGR (Modular High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor) Design and Development Status

MHTGR (Modular High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor) Design and Development Status PDF Author:
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ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description
The Modular High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor (MHTGR) is an advanced power plant concept which has been under design definition since 1984. The design utilizes basic high-temperature gas-cooled reactor features of ceramic fuel, helium coolant and a graphite moderator which have been under development for 30 years. The geometric arrangement of the reactor vessels, the core and the heat removal components has been selected to exploit the inherent characteristics associated with high temperature materials. The design utilizes passively safe features which provide a higher margin of safety and investment protection than current generation reactors. The design has been evaluated to be economically attractive relative to modern coal fired plants. The design and development program is a cooperative effort by the US government, the utilities and the nuclear industry. 8 refs., 4 figs., 4 tabs.

A Vectorized Heat Transfer Model for Solid Reactor Cores

A Vectorized Heat Transfer Model for Solid Reactor Cores PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 36

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Book Description
The new generation of nuclear reactors includes designs that are significantly different from light water reactors. Among these new reactor designs is the Modular High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor (MHTGR). In addition, nuclear thermal rockets share a number of similarities with terrestrial HTGRs and would be amenable to similar types of analyses. In these reactors, the heat transfer in the solid core mass is of primary interest in design and safety assessment. One significant safety feature of these reactors is the capability to withstand a loss of pressure and forced cooling in the primary system and still maintain peak fuel temperatures below the safe threshold for retaining the fission products. To accurately assess the performance of gas-cooled reactors during these types of transients, a Helium/Hydrogen Cooled Reactor Analysis (HERA) computer code has been developed. HERA has the ability to model arbitrary geometries in three dimensions, which allows the user to easily analyze reactor cores constructed of prismatic graphite elements. The code accounts for heat generation in the fuel, control rods and other structures; conduction and radiation across gaps; convection to the coolant; and a variety of boundary conditions. The numerical solution scheme has been optimized for vector computers, making long transient analyses economical. Time integration is either explicit or implicit, which allows the use of the model to accurately calculate both short- or long-term transients with an efficient use of computer time. Both the basic spatial and temporal integration schemes have been benchmarked against analytical solutions. Also, HERA has been used to analyze a depressurized loss of forced cooling transient in a HTGR with a very detailed three-dimensional input model. The results compare favorably with other means of analysis and provide further validation of the models and methods. 18 refs., 11 figs.

Environmental Aspects of MHTGR (Modular High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor) Operation

Environmental Aspects of MHTGR (Modular High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor) Operation PDF Author:
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ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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The Modular High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor (MHTGR) is an advanced reactor concept being developed under a cooperative program involving the US Government, the utilities and the nuclear industry. This plant design utilizes basic High Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor (HTGR) features of ceramic fuel, helium coolant, and a graphite moderator. The MHTGR design approach leading to exceptional safety performance also leads to plant operation which is characterized by extremely low radiological emissions even for very low probability accidents. Coated fuel particles retain radionuclides within the fuel, thus minimizing material contamination and personnel exposure. The objective of this paper is to characterize radioactive effluents expected from the normal operation of an MHTGR. In addition, other nonradioactive effluents associated with a power generating facility are discussed. Nuclear power plants produce radioactive effluents during normal operation in gaseous, liquid and solid forms. Principal sources of radioactive waste within the MHTGR are identified. The manner in which it is planned to treat these wastes is described. Like other reactors, the MHTGR produces nonradioactive effluents associated with heat generation and chemical usage. However, due to the MHTGR's higher efficiency, water usage requirements and chemical discharges for the MHTGR are minimized relative to other types of nuclear power plants. Based upon prior operating HTGR experience and analysis, effluents are quantified in terms of radioactivity levels and/or emission volume. Results, quantified within the paper, demonstrate that effluents from the MHTGR are well below regulatory limits and that the MHTGR has a minimal impact upon the public and the environment. 14 refs., 2 figs., 4 tabs.