Nuclear Plant Journal - Digital Versions

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Modeling &... Continued from page 18 and to provide the necessary assurance of fuel integrity over its operating life considering both normal (operational) and abnormal conditions. Fuel behavior models currently available have limited predictive capacity. They rely extensively on the results of fuel property and irradiation tests and post-irradiation examinations. A large number of in-pile tests are typically needed to encompass the fuel operating conditions of interest, and the duration of these tests may be several years to reach the targeted discharge burnup. The high cost and protracted nature of these tests create a strong incentive to develop computational models of fuel behavior that have greater predictive capability and are less dependent on empirical testing. Advancement of such capabilities is pursued in parallel with the (reactor) modeling and simulation efforts described here, with the aim of appropriately integrating or coordinating their application in the future. 4. Who are your global partners in this effort Argonne is leading a team of U.S. national laboratories (Idaho, Oak Ridge and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories) and several universities in the advancement of reactor modeling and simulation capabilities centered on the SHARP code and the effective use of leadership class computers, including the IBM Blue Gene/P. This national effort is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy and is carried out in cooperation with the French Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) and the Japanese Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA). Cooperative activities currently underway include (a) joint definition of benchmark problems that can be used to test the existing and developmental code systems in each country, (b) joint comparison and assessment of benchmark results, and (c) joint assessment and improvement of enabling software tools, e.g., tools for geometry description, mesh generation, data management, solution decomposition and parallelization and visualization of results. 5. Please describe your plans with your current technology for assisting research, design, and operation of nuclear power plants in the next fi ve years Our current plans are focused on continued development, testing and integration of the SHARP code. The development effort will be guided and focused by applications supporting the development of conceptual designs for advanced reactor systems and confirmation of their safety. Their main initial use will be to complement experimental measurements in the qualification of the existing analysis tools and to investigate design options and operating conditions that cannot be explored reliably with existing tools. Although separate- and integraleffects measurements will continue to SFR Bundle be needed for validation of the models used in reactor design, the advanced capabilities under development will make it possible to optimize the experimental campaigns and to support greater use of “numerical prototyping” in the design of reactor components and systems. 6. Please share any other details, which you may like to bring to the attention of our readership in the nuclear power industry. The code systems in use today for reactor development and design were initiated more than thirty years ago and were designed to accommodate the computing resources, tools and methods that were available at the time. We are targeting a vastly improved capability that exploits advances in computers and software tools to facilitate reactor design optimization, provide increased assurance of performance and safety characteristics, and reduce the need for large scale integral experiments to characterize or validate performance. In addition to the improved ability to predict reactor behavior, we envision a vastly superior process for development, design and licensing of future reactors. This process would integrate all significant aspects of the design to influence optimized design choices at the conceptual stage of the design. It would also support evolution from the conceptual stage to the detailed design of realizable components. Finally, it would provide for automated transfer of design specifications to instructions for manufacture and assembly, enabling the manufacture of parts and components to close tolerances and assured fit at the time of assembly. 7. Do have enough funding to realize your plans in the next fi ve years We are grateful for the sponsorship the U.S. Department of Energy provides for our effort to advance modeling and simulation of nuclear reactors, as well as for the its past and continuing investment in high-performance computers and the software needed to make effective use of these computers. Our progress on development and application of the reactor simulation tools, centered on the SHARP code, obviously depends on the funding support we receive over the next five years – not only for code development but also for application and validation studies and quality assurance. We are optimistic about the prospect for this funding, because the benefit of this research for advancing the use of nuclear energy is increasingly recognized by the technical community and policymakers. At the same time, we are extremely interested in partnerships with commercial organizations that can provide additional resources for accelerating our development and validation efforts and bringing their products to bear on the commercial design, licensing and operation of nuclear power plants. Contact: Hussein S. Khalil, Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 S. Cass Avenue, Bldg 208, Argonne, IL 60439; telephone: (630) 252-1456, fax: (630) 252-4780, email: hkhalil@anl.gov. 20 http://subscribe.npjonline.com http://www.NPJOnline.com Nuclear Plant Journal, September-October 2008
Bechtel Nuclear: Building on the Past Powering the Future Since the earliest commercial nuclear reactors a half century ago, Bechtel has played a pivotal role in every phase of the industry’s development. We designed and/or built more than half of the nuclear power plants in the United States. Worldwide, Bechtel has played an important role on more than 150 nuclear units. Today, we continue our commitment to the nuclear power industry, providing quality operating services and support to nuclear power plants throughout the world. Bechtel offers the most complete selection of nuclear support services available. New nuclear generation, including COL support. Operating plant services. Steam generator replacements. Reactor pressure vessel head replacements. Plant license renewal and life extension. Operations improvement programs. A center of excellence dedicated to process improvement and innovation. And a commitment to nuclear power that started with the industry’s inception. BECHTEL POWER Frederick, Maryland, USA 1-301-228-8609 www.bechtel.com
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