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Mathematics & Computation
Division members promote the advancement of mathematical and computational methods for solving problems arising in all disciplines encompassed by the Society. They place particular emphasis on numerical techniques for efficient computer applications to aid in the dissemination, integration, and proper use of computer codes, including preparation of computational benchmark and development of standards for computing practices, and to encourage the development on new computer codes and broaden their use.
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Utility Working Conference and Vendor Technology Expo (UWC 2024)
August 4–7, 2024
Marco Island, FL|JW Marriott Marco Island
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The Standards Committee is responsible for the development and maintenance of voluntary consensus standards that address the design, analysis, and operation of components, systems, and facilities related to the application of nuclear science and technology. Find out What’s New, check out the Standards Store, or Get Involved today!
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Latest News
Vogtle-3 shuts down for valve issue
One of the new Vogtle units in Georgia was shut down unexpectedly on Monday last week for a valve issue that has since been investigated and repaired. According to multiple local news outlets, Georgia Power reported on July 17 that Unit 3 was back in service.
Southern Company spokesperson Jacob Hawkins confirmed that Vogtle-3 went off line at 9:25 p.m. local time on July 8 “due to lowering water levels in the steam generators caused by a valve issue on one of the three main feedwater pumps.”
J. Pacio, M. Daubner, T. Wetzel (KIT)
Proceedings | Advances in Thermal Hydraulics 2018 | Orlando, FL, November 11-15, 2018 | Pages 520-530
For the design and licensing of innovative reactor concepts, the thermal-hydraulic assessment must consider both nominal conditions and postulated accidental scenarios. For the LBE-cooled MYRRHA reactor, developed at SCK•C EN (Belgium), one postulated event with low, yet non-negligible probability of occurring is the presence of local blockages in a fuel assembly. If the pins in the active region cannot be cooled efficiently, local hot spots can potentially lead to cladding failure.
In this work, thermal-hydraulic tests in a rod bundle with local blockages were performed at a large-scale LBE experimental facility at KIT (Germany), on a 19-rod bundle with wire spacers, as part of the European project MAXSIMA. The geometry, operating conditions, and blockages characteristics are representative of postulated worst-case scenarios for the MYRRHA reactor. In particular, small blockages with low thermal conductivity are studied, indicative of oxide particles accumulating along the spacers.
Local temperatures are obtained at selected wall and fluid locations, for the validation of simulations. Moreover, a semi-empirical correlation is developed for estimating the maximum wall overheat, which can be significant for blockages covering several sub-channels. Furthermore, differential pressure measurements indicate that small blockages have a negligible effect in the global relation between flow and pressure drop, and thus cannot be detected at the fuel assembly outlet.