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Comparative Irradiated Dimensional Change Strain Analyses of Two Types of Graphite Components in a Thorium Molten Salt Reactor

Author

Listed:
  • Yu Zhong

    (Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201800, China
    University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China)

  • Chunyan Zou

    (Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201800, China
    University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China)

  • Qi Wang

    (Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201800, China
    University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China)

  • Guifeng Zhu

    (Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201800, China
    University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China)

  • Wei Guo

    (Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201800, China
    University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China)

  • Zhichao Wang

    (Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201800, China
    University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China)

Abstract

Nuclear graphite plays a crucial role in thermal-spectrum thorium molten salt reactors (TMSRs) as both the neutron moderator and the construct for the coolant flowing channel. When subjected to irradiation and elevated temperatures, graphite components experience considerable deformation due to a combination of dimensional changes, thermal expansion, irradiation creep, elastic deformation, and changes in thermomechanical characteristics. The lifespan of the graphite component is a limiting factor in TMSR designs as it strongly correlates with the dimensional changes of the graphite. To evaluate the thermal and mechanical reactions of graphite component under TMSR core conditions, it is necessary to couple models of thermal-hydraulics, neutronics, and thermal-mechanics. This paper presents an enhanced methodology for analyzing the deformation of graphite components using the finite element method. Then, this method was applied to analyze a 10-year deformation history of a hexagonal prism assembly (HPA) and it was compared with the traditional hexagonal round channel assembly (RCA). The results demonstrate that the stress–strain field of both types of graphite components undergo significant variations with the increasing neutron fluence from irradiation. HPA graphite exhibits a slower deformation as compared to RCA graphite when subjected to identical operating conditions. In this case, HPA graphite has a lifespan of approximately 10 years, while RCA graphite lasts only 8.8 years.

Suggested Citation

  • Yu Zhong & Chunyan Zou & Qi Wang & Guifeng Zhu & Wei Guo & Zhichao Wang, 2024. "Comparative Irradiated Dimensional Change Strain Analyses of Two Types of Graphite Components in a Thorium Molten Salt Reactor," Energies, MDPI, vol. 17(11), pages 1-20, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:17:y:2024:i:11:p:2469-:d:1399123
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Xinyan Bei & Yuqing Dai & Kaicheng Yu & Maosong Cheng, 2023. "Three-Dimensional Surrogate Model Based on Back-Propagation Neural Network for Key Neutronics Parameters Prediction in Molten Salt Reactor," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(10), pages 1-18, May.
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