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Neutronic Analysis of SiC/SiC Sandwich Cladding Design in APR-1400 under Normal Operation Conditions

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  • Maithah M. Alaleeli

    (Nuclear Engineering Department, Khalifa University, Abu Dhabi 127788, United Arab Emirates
    Emirates Nuclear Technology Center, Khalifa University, Abu Dhabi 127788, United Arab Emirates)

  • Saeed A. Alameri

    (Nuclear Engineering Department, Khalifa University, Abu Dhabi 127788, United Arab Emirates
    Emirates Nuclear Technology Center, Khalifa University, Abu Dhabi 127788, United Arab Emirates)

  • Mohammad Alrwashdeh

    (Nuclear Engineering Department, Khalifa University, Abu Dhabi 127788, United Arab Emirates
    Emirates Nuclear Technology Center, Khalifa University, Abu Dhabi 127788, United Arab Emirates)

Abstract

Our aim is to study the neutronic behaviour of potential accident-tolerant fuel (ATF) claddings in a pressurised water reactor under normal operations. This work compares ATF silicon carbide composite (SiC/SiC) cladding to conventional ZIRLO TM cladding in APR-1400. Additionally, a “sandwich” cladding design developed by the CEA is used for SiC/SiC. The design structure includes a liner in between two layers of the composite to ensure leak tightness. The two proposed liners are Niobium (Nb) and Tantalum (Ta). Serpent 2, a Monte Carlo reactor physics lattice code, is employed to model both cladding materials in APR-1400 at three different levels: pin cell, fuel assembly, and core. The criticality, neutron spectrum, actinide inventory, and power distribution as a function of burnup are investigated. The simulations show that SiC/SiC with the Nb liner displays a far superior performance than the Ta liner across all examined characteristics. Ta leads to a harder neutron spectrum and increased Pu-239 content throughout the cycle, while Nb presents negligible effects. In fact, SiC/SiC with the Nb liner performs very similarly to ZIRLO TM at all model levels. The results indicate that, in terms of neutronics, the adoption of the SiC/SiC composite would entail little to no changes to current APR-1400 operations.

Suggested Citation

  • Maithah M. Alaleeli & Saeed A. Alameri & Mohammad Alrwashdeh, 2022. "Neutronic Analysis of SiC/SiC Sandwich Cladding Design in APR-1400 under Normal Operation Conditions," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(14), pages 1-20, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:15:y:2022:i:14:p:5204-:d:865568
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Mohammad Alrwashdeh & Saeed A. Alameri, 2022. "SiC and FeCrAl as Potential Cladding Materials for APR-1400 Neutronic Analysis," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(10), pages 1-17, May.
    2. Mikołaj Oettingen, 2022. "The Application of Radiochemical Measurements of PWR Spent Fuel for the Validation of Burnup Codes," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(9), pages 1-15, April.
    3. Przemysław Stanisz & Mikołaj Oettingen & Jerzy Cetnar, 2022. "Development of a Trajectory Period Folding Method for Burnup Calculations," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-15, March.
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    1. Mohammad Alrwashdeh & Saeed A. Alameri, 2022. "Chromium-Coated Zirconium Cladding Neutronics Impact for APR-1400 Reactor Core," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(21), pages 1, October.

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