HTGR Knowledge Base

Conference Article: On The Use Of Point Kinetics For High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor Transient Analysis

Abstract

The use of simplified point kinetics for core neutronics representation in High-Temperature Gas-cooled Reactors (HTGR) needs to be validated, especially for reactivity events such as water ingress and Anticipated Transients Without Scram (ATWS). The concern is prompted by the large height-to-diameter ratio of certain modular designs and the strong and spatially heterogeneous thermal feedback on neutronics. Even though HTGR cores are known to have a slow thermal response, the choice of core kinetic model can influence the outcome of transients involving reactivity effects. In this respect, the quasi-static method, previously used to analyse spatial dynamics of other reactor designs, is proposed as an efficient tool for validating the use of point kinetics against the use of more detailed spatial representations of HTGR cores.

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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:1-4