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Conference Article: Development and Validation of Fission Product Release Models and Software at PBMR

Abstract

A brief overview of PBMR’s fission product release model and software development is presented. Gaseous and metallic fission product release from spherical fuel elements into the coolant gas is calculated by the steady state code NOBLEG and the dynamic code GETTER respectively. NOBLEG calculates short-lived fission gas release based on the Booth model and GETTER metallic fission product release based on Fick’s laws of diffusion under normal and accident conditions. Both codes are used extensively in the design and safety analyses of the Pebble Bed Modular Reactor (PBMR). An overview of the models used is presented, including the development of new models to calculate the oxidation effect water ingress have on gaseous fission product release, and loss of forced coolant heat-up effects on metallic and halogen release. For loss of forced coolant events, the software FIPREX was developed as a post-calculation data reduction application for GETTER’s accident calculations. Calculated results for a sample PBMR core design are presented as well as design factors derived by sensitivity analyses. The PBMR models and their application in NOBLEG are validated in part with the irradiation data from fuel irradiation tests HFR-K5 and -K6, and in GETTER with HFR-K3. A brief overview of these benchmarking calculations is presented.

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Reference:

Proceedings of the Conference on High Temperature Reactors, Beijing, China, September, 22-24, 2004

International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna (Austria)

HTR-2004, pp:1-21