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Development of GAMMA Code and Evaluation for a Very High Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor. ANS Meeting.

DE2007912894

Publication Date	2007
Personal Author	Oh, C.; No, H. C.; Lim, H. S.; Kim, E. S.; Kim, J. H.
Page Count	11
Abstract	The very high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (VHTR) is envisioned as a single- or dual-purpose reactor for electricity and hydrogen generation. The concept has average coolant temperatures above 900 degrees C and operational fuel temperatures above 1250 degrees C. The concept provides the potential for increased energy conversion efficiency and for high-temperature process heat application in addition to power generation. While all the High Temperature Gas Cooled Reactor (HTGR) concepts have sufficiently high temperature to support process heat applications, such as coal gasification, desalination or cogenerative processes, the VHTR's higher temperatures allow broader applications, including thermochemical hydrogen production. However, the very high temperatures of this reactor concept can be detrimental to safety if a loss-of-coolant accident (LOCA) occurs. Following the loss of coolant through the break and coolant depressurization, air will enter the core through the break by molecular diffusion and ultimately by natural convection, leading to oxidation of the in-core graphite structure and fuel. The oxidation will accelerate heatup of the reactor core and the release of toxic gasses (CO and CO2) and fission products. Thus, without any effective countermeasures, a pipe break may lead to significant fuel damage and fission product release. Prior to the start of this Korean/United States collaboration, no computer codes were available that had been sufficiently developed and validated to reliably simulate a LOCA in the VHTR.
Keywords	VHTR reactors Hydraulics Thermal reactors Electricity Hydrogen generation Loss of coolant Coal gasification Reactor cores Reactor accidents Reactor safety Oxidation Toxic gases Gamma sources Meetings Evaluation
Source Agency	Technical Information Center Oak Ridge Tennessee
Corporate Authors	Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho Falls, ID.; Department of Energy, Washington, DC.
Supplemental Notes	Sponsored by Department of Energy, Washington, DC.
Document Type	Technical Report
NTIS Issue Number	200801

Development of GAMMA Code and Evaluation for a Very High Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor. ANS Meeting.

Development of GAMMA Code and Evaluation for a Very High Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor. ANS Meeting.
DE2007912894

Publication Date	2007
Personal Author	Oh, C.; No, H. C.; Lim, H. S.; Kim, E. S.; Kim, J. H.
Page Count	11
Abstract	The very high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (VHTR) is envisioned as a single- or dual-purpose reactor for electricity and hydrogen generation. The concept has average coolant temperatures above 900 degrees C and operational fuel temperatures above 1250 degrees C. The concept provides the potential for increased energy conversion efficiency and for high-temperature process heat application in addition to power generation. While all the High Temperature Gas Cooled Reactor (HTGR) concepts have sufficiently high temperature to support process heat applications, such as coal gasification, desalination or cogenerative processes, the VHTR's higher temperatures allow broader applications, including thermochemical hydrogen production. However, the very high temperatures of this reactor concept can be detrimental to safety if a loss-of-coolant accident (LOCA) occurs. Following the loss of coolant through the break and coolant depressurization, air will enter the core through the break by molecular diffusion and ultimately by natural convection, leading to oxidation of the in-core graphite structure and fuel. The oxidation will accelerate heatup of the reactor core and the release of toxic gasses (CO and CO2) and fission products. Thus, without any effective countermeasures, a pipe break may lead to significant fuel damage and fission product release. Prior to the start of this Korean/United States collaboration, no computer codes were available that had been sufficiently developed and validated to reliably simulate a LOCA in the VHTR.
Keywords	VHTR reactors Hydraulics Thermal reactors Electricity Hydrogen generation Loss of coolant Coal gasification Reactor cores Reactor accidents Reactor safety Oxidation Toxic gases Gamma sources Meetings Evaluation
Source Agency	Technical Information Center Oak Ridge Tennessee
Corporate Authors	Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho Falls, ID.; Department of Energy, Washington, DC.
Supplemental Notes	Sponsored by Department of Energy, Washington, DC.
Document Type	Technical Report
NTIS Issue Number	200801