Nuclear Engineering and Technology

Korean Nuclear Society (한국원자력학회)
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A study on the applicability of simplified few-group GET (Generalized Equivalence Theory) to cylindrical molten salt fast reactor

  • Sungtaek Hong (Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology) ;
  • Taesuk Oh (Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology) ;
  • Yonghee Kim (Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology)
  • Received : 2024.02.07
  • Accepted : 2024.05.21
  • Published : 2024.10.25
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Abstract

One of the essential requirements for molten salt reactor (MSR) design is methodology for analyzing multiphysics phenomena, such as the behavior of liquid fuel. In the research of Molten Salt Fast Reactors (MSFRs), the Neutron Diffusion Equation (NDE) is widely employed. This study introduces a method to enhance the accuracy of neutronic analysis of MSFR using the NDE. Using the simple structure of MSFR and the characteristics of liquid nuclear fuel, it is intended to enable the application of the simple equivalence method, which is difficult to perform on the existing fast reactor. A straightforward yet effective approach named the simplified Generalized Equivalence Theory (simplified GET) is proposed for applying flux-volume-weighted homogenized cross-sections and representative Discontinuity Factor (DF) values obtained at material. This approach, while similar to the General Equivalence Theory (GET) method, significantly simplifies the enhancement of accuracy in reactor analysis, minimizing computational efforts. Our investigation spans from the initial core to the burned core, ensuring the applicability of this simple method throughout the reactor's operational life. The proposed method demonstrates promising results, offering a viable solution to improve the accuracy of NDE-based calculations in MSFRs.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

This work was supported by Korea Research Institute for defense Technology planning and advancement (KRIT) grant funded by the Korea government (DAPA) (KRIT-CT-22-017, Next Generation Multi-Purpose High Power Generation Technology (Liquid Fueled Heat Supply Module Design Technology), 2022), and by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant funded by the Korea government (MSIT) (No. 2021M2D2A207638312).MSIT: Ministry of Science and ICT, DAPA: Defense Acquisition Program Administration.

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