Publikationsrepositorium - Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf

Current work at HZDR will be presented with special emphasis on the development strategy for the DYN3D code as a main component of a diverse 3D coupled core simulation tool for fast reactors and on the work on designable feedback coefficients for sodium cooled fast reactors.
DYN3D is a code for steady-state and transient analysis, currently updated for the use for fast reactors. The code has been extended to multi-group use as well as to the solution of the SP3 equations on rectangular and recently to triangular grid. First verification results for the new triangular multi-group solver will be presented and compared to a HELIOS reference solution. The thermal hydraulics of the code has already been updated with the sodium properties for the steady state and transient core simulation. In an industry funded project the fuel rod modeling will be improved by coupling with a fuel rod analysis code and by extension of the model to consider fuel rod expansion. First full core tests for SFR will be performed within ESFR. LFR validation will be performed on the Guinevere experiments at Mol/Belgium in the project FREYA. Validation of the code for SFR is foreseen in a cooperation project with the IPPE in Obninsk/Russia, already under negotiation. After these validation projects, DYN3D will be a diverse, well validated 3D nodal code for fast reactor steady state and transient analysis.
The new idea of improving the safety coefficients by the insertion of moderating material will be presented. The effect of moderating material on the sodium void effect, the neutron spectrum, and the kinf is investigated. The use of a zirconium hydride ZrH moderator improves the fuel temperature effect, the coolant effect of the system and the sodium void effect significantly. All changes lead to a significant increase in stability of the fast reactor against transients. The effect of different spatial arrangements of the moderating material is investigated. It is demonstrated, that the insertion of the moderating material does not have a significant influence on the fuel element power and burnup distribution. The use of fine distributed moderating material creates a new degree of freedom in the design of sodium cooled fast reactors without implying constraints on the core and the fuel element design. It opens the way to create designable feedback effects in a fast reactor core to optimize the response of the reactor core to transients and incidents. The moderating material has only a small influence on the breeding effect and the MA production.