An algorithm for accurate modeling and simulating reactor cores with involute‐shaped fuel plates by Monte Carlo

Abstract

Summary A real three‐dimensional representation of reactor core with involute fuel plates via Monte Carlo method is still lacking at the present, and usually equivalent homogeneous models of water coolants and simplified fuel plate shapes have been used. This work proposed an algorithm to simulate the reactor core composed of involute fuel plates with an explicit accurate description of its involute surfaces. The description of involute surfaces is through its governing equations. The mathematical function methods to depict the involute curves and the schemes to compute the distance between any neutron particle and an involute surface along a ray are presented and demonstrated step‐by‐step. The algorithm is realized in the Monte Carlo code and validated by the published data of a high flux isotope reactor. This study definitively provides a method to model the involute fuel plates in the Monte Carlo simulation.

Effects of the central graphite column dimension and pebble size on power density distribution in annular core pebble‐bed HTR

“…For this kind of complicated geometry problem, the Monte Carlo method is a practical approach. This method can model new and delicate geometry structures in the reactor including the involute‐shaped fuel plates in the high flux isotope reactor, 15 with the technique called constructive solid geometry (CSG). It can also apply to pebble‐bed reactors where tons of similar structures are involved.…”