Chemical Engineering Science, Vol.111, 390-401, 2014
Development of an OpenFOAM model for the Molten Salt Fast Reactor transient analysis
In the paper, the development of a multiphysics model for the transient analysis of non-moderated Molten Salt Reactors is discussed. Particular attention is devoted to the description of the adopted time integration and physics coupling strategies. The proposed model features the adoption of an implicit Runge-Kutta scheme and the coupling among neutron diffusion, Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes equations for mass and momentum conservation, and energy and delayed neutron precursor balance equations, in order to accurately catch thermal feedbacks on neutronics. The solver is aimed at performing fast-running simulations of the full-core three-dimensional Molten Salt Fast Reactor geometry. The neutronics modelling is assessed against Monte Carlo simulations and the results of a simplified case study are compared to those from multiphysics tools previously developed. As an example of the capability of the model, an unprotected MSFR single pump failure accidental scenario is simulated and discussed. The main purpose of the present model is to serve as fast running computational tool in the phase of design optimization of fuel loop components. More in general, it is of valuable help in the study of reactor physics of circulating fuel systems. (c) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved,
Keywords:Molten Salt Reactor (MSR);Molten Salt Fast Reactor (MSFR);OpenFOAM;Multiphysics;Reactor dynamics