An analytical model for the study of a small Lead-cooled Fast Reactor (LFR) control-oriented dynamics has been developed aimed at providing a useful, very flexible and straightforward, though accurate, tool allowing relatively quick transient design-basis and stability analyses. A simplified lumped-parameter approach has been adopted to couple neutronics and thermal-hydraulics: the point-kinetics approximation has been employed and an average-temperature heat-exchange model has been implemented. The reactor transient responses following postulated accident initiators such as Unprotected Control Rod Withdrawal (UTOP), Loss of Heat Sink (ULOHS) and Loss of Flow (ULOF) have been studied for a MOX and a metal-fuelled core at the Beginning of Cycle (BoC) and End of Cycle (EoC) configurations. A benchmark analysis has been then performed by means of the SAS4A/SASSYS-1 Liquid Metal Reactor Code System, in which a core model based on three representative channels has been built with the purpose of providing verification for the analytical outcomes and indicating how the latter relate to more realistic one-dimensional calculations. As a general result, responses concerning the main core characteristics (namely, power, reactivity, etc.) have turned out to be mutually consistent in terms of both steady-state absolute figures and transient developments, showing discrepancies of the order of only some percents, thus confirming a very satisfactory agreement.
An analytical model for the study of a small LFR core dynamics: development and benchmark
CAMMI, ANTONIO;LORENZI, STEFANO;
2011-01-01
Abstract
An analytical model for the study of a small Lead-cooled Fast Reactor (LFR) control-oriented dynamics has been developed aimed at providing a useful, very flexible and straightforward, though accurate, tool allowing relatively quick transient design-basis and stability analyses. A simplified lumped-parameter approach has been adopted to couple neutronics and thermal-hydraulics: the point-kinetics approximation has been employed and an average-temperature heat-exchange model has been implemented. The reactor transient responses following postulated accident initiators such as Unprotected Control Rod Withdrawal (UTOP), Loss of Heat Sink (ULOHS) and Loss of Flow (ULOF) have been studied for a MOX and a metal-fuelled core at the Beginning of Cycle (BoC) and End of Cycle (EoC) configurations. A benchmark analysis has been then performed by means of the SAS4A/SASSYS-1 Liquid Metal Reactor Code System, in which a core model based on three representative channels has been built with the purpose of providing verification for the analytical outcomes and indicating how the latter relate to more realistic one-dimensional calculations. As a general result, responses concerning the main core characteristics (namely, power, reactivity, etc.) have turned out to be mutually consistent in terms of both steady-state absolute figures and transient developments, showing discrepancies of the order of only some percents, thus confirming a very satisfactory agreement.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
