Deployment study of accident tolerant fuels in small modular advanced high temperature reactor

Abstract To address the growing energy demands of the future, several innovative small modular reactors (SMRs) have been developed. These reactors, designed for 125 MWt operation, feature a compact layout that facilitates manufacturing, shipping, and on-site assembly. In this study, the neutronic performance of the core of a small modular advanced high-temperature reactor (SmAHTR) is investigated. The present work concentrates on the evaluation of six different types of accident-tolerant fuels (ATF) including uranium oxy-carbide (UCO), uranium carbide (UC), uranium silicide (U 3 Si 2 ), uranium aluminide (UAl 2 ) and natural and enriched uranium mononitride (UN). At the beginning of life (BOL), a few parameters are computed, including power distribution and radial neutron flux. Four physical parameters— K eff , β eff , moderator temperature coefficient (MTC), and fuel temperature coefficient (FTC)—are also examined. Additionally, fission product concentrations for the various ATFs utilized in the SmAHTR core are measured at the end of the cycle (EOC) for various burnup times. There is additional discussion of how the concentrations of 135 Xe and 149 Sm production is affected by the use of various ATFs. The results indicated that UN-based fuels in tri-isotropic (TRISO) particles are more effective than other types of ATFs, due to their ability to increase the cycle length.