Multiscale core thermal-hydraulics analysis of the pebble bed fluoride-salt-cooled high-temperature reactor (Pb-FHR)

A. J. Novak, R. N. Slaybaugh, R. C. Martineau

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

Abstract

The complex core geometry of Pebble Bed Reactors (PBRs) necessitates multiscale techniques for accurate prediction of temperature and flow distributions. This paper presents the multiscale Thermal-Hydraulic (T/H) models used in the Pronghorn PBR simulation tool with application to the Mark-1 Pebble Bed Fluoride-Salt Cooled High-Temperature Reactor (PB-FHR). Pronghorn’s multiscale model is compared against a simpler model recently used for analysis of Doppler-driven transients in the PB-FHR. Comparisons with explicitly-meshed pebbles show that Pronghorn can predict material-wise maximum and average temperatures to less than 10°C over a wide range of thermal conditions, while the simpler model is characterized by errors of 40 to 200°C. Steady-state analysis of the PB-FHR demonstrates Pronghorn’s capabilities as a multiscale T/H solver for PBRs.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationInternational Conference on Mathematics and Computational Methods Applied to Nuclear Science and Engineering, M and C 2019
PublisherAmerican Nuclear Society
Pages397-410
Number of pages14
ISBN (Electronic)9780894487699
StatePublished - 2019
Externally publishedYes
Event2019 International Conference on Mathematics and Computational Methods Applied to Nuclear Science and Engineering, M and C 2019 - Portland, United States
Duration: Aug 25 2019Aug 29 2019

Publication series

NameInternational Conference on Mathematics and Computational Methods Applied to Nuclear Science and Engineering, M and C 2019

Conference

Conference2019 International Conference on Mathematics and Computational Methods Applied to Nuclear Science and Engineering, M and C 2019
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityPortland
Period8/25/198/29/19

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Applied Mathematics
  • Nuclear Energy and Engineering

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