Application of advanced simulation tools for multiphysics evaluation of the SMR cores

小型模块化反应堆（smr）由于其优势，如更短的部署时间，更小的资本成本，以及选址偏远的能力，是现代大型核电站的一个有吸引力的替代方案。小型反应堆的功率从几十兆瓦到几百兆瓦不等，可用于发电、供热、海水淡化和其他工业任务。该博士项目专注于先进反应堆堆芯模拟的方法，该方法结合了效率和准确性，并有可能被工业使用。与传统的大型反应堆相比，一个关键点将是确定smr（含硼和无硼）建模和模拟的挑战。这将使使用先进的多物理场和多尺度模拟技术准确研究操作参数敏感性的有效方法得以发现。将使用先进的建模和仿真工具，如全核模拟器DYN3D，中子输运求解器LOTUS和OpenMC，以及子通道热工水力学代码CTF。利用这些先进的多尺度和多物理场工具来创建计算效率高、精度高的模型的方法，有可能成为评估smr安全性和性能的有效工具。该模型将被设计用于在整个反应堆堆芯的组件级提供耦合反应堆物理，同时在小型模块化反应堆（smr）的选定组件中实现详细的逐针级模拟。特别是，简化耦合反应堆物理（DYN3D）代码将用于模拟燃料组件级别的所有核反应堆堆芯，以定义感兴趣的区域。在此之后，将使用改进的耦合反应堆物理（LOTUS + CTF）代码来模拟燃料组件中燃料销级的指定感兴趣区域。这种方法将允许精确建模和模拟SMR核心的识别路径，而无需计算昂贵的全核引脚模拟，使其对开发方法的工业应用具有吸引力。

Small modular reactors (SMRs) are an attractive alternative to modern large-scale nuclear power plants due to their advantages, such as shorter deployment time, smaller capital costs, and the ability to be sited in remote locations. SMRs vary in power from tens to hundreds of MW and can be used for electricity generation, heating, water desalination and other industrial tasks. This PhD project is focused on a methodology for the advanced reactor core simulation that combines efficiency and accuracy and can potentially be used by industry. A key point will be identifying the challenges in modelling and simulating the SMRs (boron and boron-free) compared to traditional large-scale reactors. This will enable the discovery of efficient methods to accurately study the sensitivity of operational parameters using advanced multiphysics and multiscale simulation techniques. A combination of advanced modelling and simulation tools will be used, such as the full-core simulator DYN3D, the neutron transport solvers LOTUS and OpenMC, and the subchannel thermal-hydraulics code CTF. The approach of utilising those advanced multiscale and multiphysics tools to create a computationally efficient model with high accuracy has the potential to be an efficient tool in the evaluation of SMRs' safety and performance. This model will be designed to deliver coupled reactor physics at the assembly level for the entire reactor core while achieving a detailed pin-by-pin level simulation exclusively in selected assemblies for Small Modular Reactors (SMRs). In particular, the simplified coupled reactor physics (DYN3D) code will be used to simulate all the nuclear reactor cores at the level of fuel assembly to define an area of interest. Following that, the Improved coupled reactor physics (LOTUS + CTF) code will be used to simulate the designated area of interest in the fuel assembly at the fuel pin level. This approach will allow identification paths for accurate modelling and simulation of the SMR cores without the computationally expensive full-core pin-by-pin simulations, making it attractive for the industrial application of the developed methodology.