The objective of this work is to simulate the Liquid Salt Test Loop (LSTL) using the TRACE system code. The LSTL is an experimental facility built at Oak Ridge National Laboratory to test the thermal hydraulic behavior of a circulating FLiNaK liquid salt. A literature review of the experimental work and the heat transfer and friction correlations for pebble beds was performed to identify the correlations that can be used to simulate the flow of FLiNaK through a pebble bed. The selected correlations were implemented in the TRACE source code and tested using 1-D pipe components. The modified version of TRACE was then used to develop models for each component in the loop. Each component was tested separately to assess its correct physical behavior. The components were integrated into a comprehensive loop model, including the main loop and the air cooling system. The model was used to compute the steady state conditions of the loop, in particular calculation of the pressure distribution and other global operational parameters. The loop-filling transient was analyzed, along with other specific transient conditions such as the pump trip and the loop behavior under natural circulation conditions. The TRACE model was used to help characterize loop thermal hydraulic behavior and to help interpret results from loop shakedown testing. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Nuclear Energy's Nuclear Energy University Programs

Abstract The Direct Reactor Auxiliary Cooling System (DRACS) is a passive decay heat removal system proposed for the Fluoride salt–cooled High-temperature Reactor (FHR) that combines coated particle fuel and a graphite moderator with a liquid fluoride salt as the coolant. The DRACS features three coupled natural circulation/convection loops, relying completely on buoyancy as the driving force. These loops are coupled through two heat exchangers, namely, the DRACS heat exchanger (DHX) and the natural draft heat exchanger (NDHX). To experimentally investigate the thermal performance of the DRACS, a scaled-down low-temperature DRACS test facility (LTDF) has been constructed. The design of the LTDF is obtained through a detailed scaling analysis based on a 200-kW prototypic DRACS design developed at The Ohio State University. The LTDF has a nominal power capacity of 6 kW. It employs water pressurized at 1.0 MPa as the primary coolant, water near the atmospheric pressure as the secondary coolant, and ambient air as the ultimate heat sink. Three accident scenarios simulated in the LTDF are discussed in this paper. In the first scenario, startup of the DRACS system from a cold state is simulated with no initial primary coolant flow. In the second scenario, a reactor coolant pump trip process is studied, during which a flow reversal phenomenon in the DRACS primary loop occurs. In the third scenario, the pump trip process is studied with a simulated intermediate heat exchanger in operation during the simulated core normal operation. In all scenarios, natural circulation flows are developed as the transients approach their quasi steady states, demonstrating the functionality of the DRACS. The accident scenarios in the prototypic FHR design corresponding to the simulated ones in the LTDF are also predicted by following a scaling-up process. The predictions show that at any time during the simulated transient, the salt temperatures will be higher than their melting temperatures and that therefore there will be no issue of salt freezing in the three projected accident scenarios. However, the scaled-up primary salt temperatures indicate that the prototypic DHX may have been undersized and may need to be redesigned.

The Direct Reactor Auxiliary Cooling System (DRACS) is a passive residual heat removal system proposed for the Fluoride-salt-cooled High-temperature Reactor (FHR) that combines the coated particle fuel and graphite moderator with a liquid fluoride salt as the coolant. The DRACS features three natural circulation/convection loops that rely on buoyancy as the driving force and are coupled via two heat exchangers, namely, the DRACS heat exchanger and the natural draft heat exchanger. A fluidic diode is employed to minimize the parasitic flow into the DRACS primary loop and correspondingly the heat loss to the DRACS during reactor normal operation, and to activate the DRACS in accidents when the reactor is shut down. While the DRACS concept has been proposed, there are no actual prototypic DRACS systems for FHRs built or tested in the literature. In this paper, a detailed scaling analysis for the DRACS is performed, which will provide guidance for the design of scaled-down DRACS test facilities. Based on the Boussinesq assumption and one-dimensional flow formulation, the governing equations are non-dimensionalized by introducing appropriate dimensionless parameters. The key dimensionless numbers that characterize the DRACS system are obtained from the non-dimensional governing equations. Based on the dimensionless numbers and non-dimensional governing equations, similarity laws are proposed. In addition, a scaling methodology has been developed, which consists of a core scaling and a loop scaling. The consistency between the core and loop scaling is examined via the reference volume ratio, which can be obtained from both the core and loop scaling processes. The scaling methodology and similarity laws have been applied to obtain a scientific design of a scaled-down high-temperature DRACS test facility. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Direct Reactor Auxiliary Cooling System (DRACS) is a passive decay heat removal system proposed for the Fluoride-salt-cooled High-temperature Reactor (FHR) that combines coated particle fuel and a graphite moderator with a liquid fluoride salt as the coolant. The DRACS features three coupled natural circulation/convection loops, relying completely on buoyancy as the driving force. These loops are coupled through two heat exchangers, namely, the DRACS Heat Exchanger and the Natural Draft Heat Exchanger. In addition, a fluidic diode is employed to minimize the parasitic flow into the DRACS primary loop and correspondingly the heat loss to the DRACS during normal operation of the reactor, and to keep the DRACS ready for activation, if needed, during accidents.To help with the design and thermal performance evaluation of the DRACS, a computer code using MATLAB has been developed. This code is based on a one-dimensional formulation and its principle is to solve the energy balance and integral momentum equations. By discretizing the DRACS system in the axial direction, a bulk mean temperature is assumed for each mesh cell. The temperatures of all the cells, as well as the mass flow rates in the DRACS loops, are predicted by solving the governing equations that are obtained by integrating the energy conservation equation over each cell and integrating the momentum conservation equation over each of the DRACS loops. In addition, an intermediate heat transfer loop equipped with a pump has also been modeled in the code. This enables the study of flow reversal phenomenon in the DRACS primary loop, associated with the pump trip process. Experimental data from a High-Temperature DRACS Test Facility (HTDF) are not available yet to benchmark the code. A preliminary code validation is performed by using natural circulation experimental data available in the literature, which are as closely relevant as possible. The code is subsequently applied to the HTDF that is under construction at the Ohio State University. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A forced-convection liquid-fluoride-salt loop is being constructed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). This loop was designed as a versatile experimental facility capable of supporting general thermal/fluid/corrosion testing of liquid fluoride salts. The initial test configuration is designed to support the Pebble Bed Advanced High-Temperature Reactor and incorporates a test section designed to examine the heat transfer behavior of FLiNaK salt in a heated pebble bed. The loop is constructed of Inconel 600 and is capable of operating at up to 700oC. It contains a total of 72 kg of FLiNaK salt and uses an overhung impeller centrifugal sump pump that can provide FLiNaK flow at 4.5 kg/s with a head of 0.125 MPa. The test section is made of silicon carbide (SiC) and contains approximately 600 graphite spheres, 3 cm in diameter. The pebble bed is heated using a unique inductive technique. A forced induction air cooler removes the heat added to the pebble bed. The salt level within the loop is maintained by controlling an argon cover gas pressure. Salt purification is performed in batch mode by transferring the salt from the loop into a specially made nickel crucible system designed to remove oxygen, moisture and other salt more » impurities. Materials selection for the loop and test section material was informed by 3 months of Inconel 600 and SiC corrosion testing as well as tests examining subcomponent performance in the salt. Several SiC-to-Inconel 600 mechanical joint designs were considered before final salt and gas seals were chosen. Structural calculations of the SiC test section were performed to arrive at a satisfactory test section configuration. Several pump vendors provided potential loop pump designs; however, because of cost, the pump was designed and fabricated in-house. The pump includes a commercial rotating dry gas shaft seal to maintain loop cover gas inventory. The primary instrumentation on the loop includes temperature, pressure, and loop flow rate measurement. Although techniques for all these measurements have improved, no commercial instrumentation was available for flow and pressure measurement that had been tested under these conditions. Instrumentation was tested and modified to meet both corrosion and temperature requirements. This paper discusses the issues encountered during the design and construction of the ORNL Liquid Salt Loop and should prove useful to those contemplating construction of similar high-temperature liquid-fluoride-salt facilities. « less

This article summarizes the information necessary to provide reasonable assurance that components for a small fluoride salt-cooled high temperature reactor will meet their functional requirements. In support of the analysis of testing requirements, a simplified, conceptual description of the systems, structures, and components specific to this reactor class was developed. These reactor system elements were divided into major categories based on their functions: (1) reactor core systems, (2) heat transport system, (3) reactor auxiliary cooling system, and (4) instrumentation and controls system. An assessment of technical maturity for each element was made, and a gap analysis was performed to identify specific areas that require further testing. A prioritized list of the testing requirements was then developed. The prioritization was based on both the relative importance of the system to reactor viability, and performance and time requirements to perform the testing.

Several new high temperature reactor concepts, referred to as Fluoride Salt Cooled High Temperature Reactors (FHRs), have been developed over the past decade. These FHRs use a liquid salt coolant combined with high temperature gas-cooled reactor fuels (TRISO) and graphite structural materials to provide a reactor that operates at very high temperatures and is scalable to large sizes perhaps exceeding 2400 MWt. This paper presents a new small FHR the Small Modular Advanced High Temperature Reactor or SmAHTR . SmAHTR is targeted at applications that require compact, high temperature heat sources either for high efficiency electricity production or process heat applications. A preliminary SmAHTR concept has been developed that delivers 125 MWt of energy in an integral primary system design that places all primary and decay heat removal heat exchangers inside the reactor vessel. The current reactor baseline concept utilizes a prismatic fuel block core, but multiple removable fuel assembly concepts are under evaluation as well. The reactor vessel size is such that it can be transported on a standard tractor-trailer to support simplified deployment. This paper will provide a summary of the current SmAHTR system concept and on-going technology and system architecture trades studies.

AbstractThe compact (R0~1.2-1.3m) Fusion Nuclear Science Facility (FNSF) is aimed at providing a fully integrated, continuously driven fusion nuclear environment of copious fusion neutrons. This facility would be used to test, discover, and understand the complex challenges of fusion plasma material interactions, nuclear material interactions, tritium fuel management, and power extraction. Such a facility properly designed would provide, initially at the JET-level plasma pressure (~30%T2) and conditions (e.g., Hot-Ion H-Mode, Q<1)), an outboard fusion neutron flux of 0.25 MW/m2 while requiring a fusion power of ~19 MW. If and when this research is successful, its performance can be extended to 1 MW/m2 and ~76 MW by reaching for twice the JET plasma pressure and Q. High-safety factor q and moderate-plasmas are used to minimize or eliminate plasma-induced disruptions, to deliver reliably a neutron fluence of 1 MW-yr/m2 and a duty factor of 10% presently anticipated for the FNS research. Success of this research will depend on achieving time-efficient installation and replacement of all internal components using remote handling (RH). This in turn requires modular designs for the internal components, including the single-turn toroidal field coil center-post. These device goals would further dictate placement of support structures and vacuum weld seals behind the internal and shielding components. If these goals could be achieved, the FNSF would further provide a ready upgrade path to the Component Test Facility (CTF), which would aim to test, for ≤6 MW-yr/m2 and 30% duty cycle, the demanding fusion nuclear engineering and technologies for DEMO. This FNSF-CTF would thereby complement the ITER Program, and support and help mitigate the risks of an aggressive world fusion DEMO R&D Program. The key physics and technology research needed in the next decade to manage the potential risks of this FNSF are identified.

A small forced-convection molten-fluoride-salt loop is being constructed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory to examine the heat transfer behavior of FLiNaK salt in a heated pebble bed. Objectives of the experiment include reestablishing infrastructure needed for fluoride-salt loop testing, developing a unique inductive heating technique for performing heat transfer (or other) experiments, measuring heat transfer characteristics in a liquid-fluoride-salt-cooled pebble bed, and demonstrating the use of silicon carbide (SiC) as a structural component for salt systems. The salt loop will consist of an Inconel 600 piping system, a sump-type pump, a SiC test section, and an air-cooled heat exchanger, as well as auxiliary systems needed to pre-heat the loop, transport salt into and out of the loop, and maintain an inert cover gas over the salt. A 30,000 Hz inductive heating system will be used to provide up to 250 kW of power to a 15 cm diameter SiC test section containing a packed bed of 3 cm graphite spheres. A SiC-to-Inconel 600 joint will use a conventional nickel/grafoil spiral wound gasket sandwiched between SiC and Inconel flanges. The loop system can provide up to 4.5 kg/s of salt flow at a head of 0.125 MPa and operate at a pressure just above atmospheric. Pebble Reynolds numbers of up to 2600 are possible with this configuration. A sump system is provided to drain and store the salt when not in use. Instrumentation on the loop will include pressure, temperature, and flow measurements, while the test section will be instrumented to provide pebble and FLiNaK temperatures.

The use of a fusion component testing facility to study and establish, during the ITER era, the remaining scientific and technical knowledge needed by fusion Demo is considered and described in this paper. This use aims to lest components in an integrated fusion nuclear environment, for the first time, to discover and understand the underpinning physical properties, and to develop improved components for further testing, in a time-efficient manner. It requires a design with extensive modularization and remote handling of activated components, and flexible hot-cell laboratories. It further requires reliable plasma conditions to avoid disruptions and minimize their impact, and designs to reduce the divertor heat flux to the level of ITER design. As the plasma duration is extended through the planned ITER level (similar to 10(3) s) and beyond, physical properties with increasing time constants, progressively for similar to 10(4) s, similar to 10(5) s, and similar to 10(6) s, would become accessible for testing and R&D. The longest time constants of these are likely to be of the order of a week ( 106 S). Progressive stages of research operation are envisioned in deuterium, deuterium-tritium for the ITER duration, and deuterium-tritium with increasingly longer plasma durations. The fusion neutron fluence and operational duty factor anticipated for this "scientific exploration" phase of a component test facility are estimated to be up to 1 MW-yr/m(2) and up to 10%, respectively.

Mass optimization calculations have been completed with the code ALKASYSSRPS for a small Rankine space power conversion system with a power of 100 kWe. The main parameter varied in this optimization was the condenser temperature;, but other parameters were studied, including materials used in the primary and secondary loops, radiator type, and the number of power conversion units. The optimum system (with the lowest mass) was calculated for the system employing the material T-111 in the primary and the secondary loops. (authors)