OpenFOAM Thermal-hydraulic Model of the Hottest Fuel Assembly from the SMART Small Modular Reactor

CRISTIAN OLIVEIRA; JOHAN SARACHE PIÑA; IVAN K. UMEZU; B. MELO; ANTONELLA L. COSTA; CLARYSSON A. SILVA; DARIO M. GODINO

Rio de Janeiro

Congreso; International Nuclear Atlantic Conference - INAC 2024; 2024

Agencia Brasilera

The increase in electricity demand over the last decades has prompted the exploration of new technological solutions for energy supply. In this context, Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) are being extensively researched worldwide to meet the electrical demands in isolated regions. Although large nuclear power plants provide significant power production, SMRs offer the advantage of mobility for electric energy supply devices, as well as serial factory production. The System-integrated Modular Advanced Reactor (SMART) is an SMR based on the Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) technology, the most common and largely employed nuclear reactor technology globally. The SMART reactor uses U O2 fuel, ZIRCALOY-4 cladding and non-boiling water as both coolant and moderator, with the added function of being a reflector. The present work aims to perform a thermal-hydraulic analysis of the hottest fuel assembly of the SMART core, employing Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) code OpenFOAM in a steady-state simulation with constant heat flux.