Transient multi-physics coupling analysis of the Xi'an Pulsed Reactor under pulsed condition

• Published in: Annals of nuclear energy 2024-06, Vol.200, p.110379, Article 110379
• Main Authors: Jiang, Duoyu, Xu, Peng, Hu, Tianliang, Jiang, Xinbiao, Li, Da, Tian, Xiaoyan, Wang, Lipeng, Wang, Yongping, Zhang, Xinyi, Cao, Lu
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: MOOSE; Multi-physics coupling; Transient pulsed condition; Xi'an Pulsed Reactor
• ISSN: 0306-4549; 1873-2100
• DOI: 10.1016/j.anucene.2024.110379

•A comprehensive three-dimensional neutronics-thermalhydraulics coupling calculation model, along with a one-way transfer thermal-mechanics model, is developed based on MOOSE to investigate the behavior of the XAPR core under transient conditions.•The transient simulation results of the Xi'an Pulsed Reactor, subjected to pulsed conditions with a reactivity insertion of 3.45$, are observed to exhibit a significant level of agreement with the experimental data.•The mechanical calculation outcomes have been efficaciously employed to steer the pulsed experiments conducted on the Xi'an Pulsed Reactor. Due to the small size of the core, strong neutron leakage, and non-uniform distribution of core power and temperature in the Xi'an Pulsed Reactor (XAPR), there exists a complex coupling between the neutronics-thermalhydraulics behaviors within the reactor core. However, the influence of this coupling phenomenon on the transient behavior of the XAPR remains unclear, necessitating the performance of multi-physics coupling analysis. To this end, an integrated code named Nurus, which couples 3-D neutron diffusion spatial kinetics with thermal–mechanical solvers, has been developed and verified through benchmark problems, utilizing the open-source multi-physics coupling framework MOOSE. The multi-group cross-sections are calculated using the code NECP-X. The transient pulsed condition, featuring a reactivity of 3.45$, in the XAPR has been simulated by Nurus. The results demonstrate that the pulse peak power and FWHM (full width at half maximum) are in good agreement with the experimental data. The maximum radial expansion of the fuel element is approximately 1.3 × 10−4 m, resulting in a short-term contact between the fuel pellet and cladding. The developed code Nurus has been successfully employed in the safety analysis of transient experiments conducted on the XAPR.