Redwing: A MOOSE application for coupling MPACT and BISON
Fuel performance and whole core neutron transport programs are often used to analyze fuel behavior as it is depleted in a reactor. For fuel performance programs, internal models provide the local intra-pin power density, fast neutron flux, burnup, and fission rate density, which are needed for a fuel performance analysis. The fuel performance internal models have a number of limitations. These include effects on the intra-pin power distribution by nearby assembly elements, such as water channels and control rods, and the further limitation of applicability to a specified fuel type such as low enriched UO2. In addition, whole core neutron transport codes need an accurate intra-pin temperature distribution in order to calculate neutron cross sections. Fuel performance simulations are able to model the intra-pin fuel displacement as the fuel expands and densifies. These displacements must be accurately modeled in order to capture the eventual mechanical contact of the fuel and the clad; the correct radial gap width is needed for an accurate calculation of the temperature distribution of the fuel rod. Redwing is a MOOSE-based application that enables coupling between MPACT and BISON for transport and fuel performance coupling. MPACT is a 3D neutron transport and reactor core simulator based on the method of characteristics (MOC). The development of MPACT began at the University of Michigan (UM) and now is under the joint development of ORNL and UM as part of the DOE CASL Simulation Hub. MPACT is able to model the effects of local assembly elements and is able calculate intra-pin quantities such as the local power density on a volumetric mesh for any fuel type. BISON is a fuel performance application of Multi-physics Object Oriented Simulation Environment (MOOSE), which is under development at Idaho National Laboratory. BISON is able to solve the nonlinearly coupled mechanical deformation and heat transfer finite element equations that model a fuel element as it is depleted in a nuclear reactor. Redwing couples BISON and MPACT in a single application. Redwing maps and transfers the individual intra-pin quantities such as fission rate density, power density, and fast neutron flux from the MPACT volumetric mesh to the individual BISON finite element meshes. For a two-way coupling Redwing maps and transfers the individual pin temperature field and axially dependent coolant densities from the BISON mesh to the MPACT volumetric mesh. Details of the mapping are given. Redwing advances the simulation with the MPACT solution for each depletion time step and then advances the multiple BISON simulations for fuel performance calculations. Sub-cycle advancement can be applied to the individual BISON simulations and allows multiple time steps to be applied to the fuel performance simulations. Currently, only loose coupling where data from a previous time step is applied to the current time step is performed.
- Research Organization:
- Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- DOE Contract Number:
- DE-AC07-05ID14517
- OSTI ID:
- 1173105
- Report Number(s):
- INL/CON-14-32800; TRN: US1500022
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: American Nuclear Society Winter Meeting 2014, Anaheim, CA (United States), 9-13 Nov 2014
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
The coupling of the neutron transport application RATTLESNAKE to the nuclear fuels performance application BISON under the MOOSE framework
THE APPLICATION OF MAMMOTH FOR A DETAILED TIGHTLY COUPLED FUEL PIN SIMULATION WITH A STATION BLACKOUT
Related Subjects
FAST NEUTRONS
FINITE ELEMENT METHOD
NEUTRON TRANSPORT
NUCLEAR FUELS
PERFORMANCE
COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
THREE-DIMENSIONAL CALCULATIONS
M CODES
B CODES
R CODES
IDAHO NATIONAL LABORATORY
POWER DENSITY
COUPLING
URANIUM DIOXIDE
ORNL
FISSION
FUEL PINS
FUEL RODS
CONTROL ELEMENTS
HEAT TRANSFER
REACTOR CORES
TEMPERATURE DISTRIBUTION
CROSS SECTIONS
NONLINEAR PROBLEMS
POWER DISTRIBUTION
BURNUP
DEFORMATION
MAPPING
REACTORS
BISON
Fuels Performance
MOOSE
Neutronics
Redwing