Analysis of the neutronic performance and reactivity feedback coefficients of lead fast reactors
The growing global demand for clean and sustainable energy has sparked significant interest in advanced nuclear technologies, particularly those encompassed within the Generation IV nuclear energy systems. Among these, LFRs are gaining attention across Europe, and especially in Belgium. Furthermore,...
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| Tipo de recurso: | tesis de maestría |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2025 |
| País: | España |
| Institución: | Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) |
| Repositorio: | UPCommons. Portal del coneixement obert de la UPC |
| Idioma: | inglés |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:upcommons.upc.edu:2117/430881 |
| Acceso en línea: | https://hdl.handle.net/2117/430881 |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palabra clave: | Nuclear reactors Nuclear engineering -- Safety measures Nuclear energy -- Environmental aspects Reactors nuclears Enginyeria nuclear -- Mesures de seguretat Energia nuclear -- Aspectes ambientals Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Energies::Energia nuclear |
| Sumario: | The growing global demand for clean and sustainable energy has sparked significant interest in advanced nuclear technologies, particularly those encompassed within the Generation IV nuclear energy systems. Among these, LFRs are gaining attention across Europe, and especially in Belgium. Furthermore, the need to reduce costs and make nuclear energy more attractive and flexible has promoted the development of SMRs concepts. LFRs offer notable advantages, including inherent safety features, high neutron economy, and the potential for improved fuel utilization. However, challenges persist in optimizing core design, material performance, and economic feasibility. The SMR-LFR project at SCK CEN seeks to explore the potential of integrating SMR principles with LFR technology, focusing on the development of a small modular lead fast reactor demonstrator. This thesis contributes to the SMR-LFR project by investigating the core design and performance characteristics of three different SMR-LFR concepts. Using the Serpent2 Monte Carlo neutron transport code, the study evaluates key neutronic and safety parameters, such as Doppler reactivity feedback and delayed neutron fraction, under static criticality conditions. The analysis examines how fuel enrichment, geometric configurations, and other design variables impact reactor performance, guiding optimization toward safe, efficient, and economically viable solutions. Additionally, the thesis validates the methodology by developing a benchmark for the SEFOR and comparing the Doppler constants obtained through simulations with experimental data. Next, a X-sec sensitivity analysis is conducted on the SEFOR benchmark and the most promising SMR-LFR designs, to asses the viability of using SEFOR as a representative benchmark for the validation of the nuclear data and computer code predictive capabilities for the Doppler constant of LFRs. The findings of this research provide valuable insights into SMR-LFR core design, the impact of design parameters on reactor performance, and the validation of computational methods, supporting the advancement of small modular LFR technology and its future deployment in the nuclear energy sector. |
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