Advanced multi-dimensional deterministic transport computational capability for safety analysis of pebble-bed reactors

A coupled neutron transport thermal-hydraulics code system with both diffusion and transport theory capabilities is presented. At the heart of the coupled code is a powerful neutronics solver, based on a neutron transport theory approach, powered by the time-dependent extension of the well known DORT code, DORT-TD. DORT-TD uses a fully implicit time integration scheme and is coupled via a general interface to the thermal-hydraulics code THERMIX-DIREKT, an HTR-specific two dimensional core thermal-hydraulics code. Feedback is accounted for by interpolating multigroup cross sections from pre-generated libraries which are structured for user specified discrete sets of thermal-hydraulic parameters e.g. fuel and moderator temperatures. The coupled code system is applied to two HTGR designs, the PBMR 400MW and the PBMR 268MW. Steady-state and several design basis transients are modeled in an effort to discern with the adequacy of using neutron diffusion theory as against the more accurate but yet computationally expensive neutron transport theory. It turns out that there are small but significant differences in the results from using either of the two theories. It is concluded that diffusion theory can be used with a higher degree of confidence in the PBMR as long as more than two energy groups are used and that the result must be checked against lower order transport solution, especially for safety analysis purposes. The end product of this thesis is a high fidelity, state-of-the-art computer code system, with multiple capabilities to analyze all PBMR safety related transients in an accurate and efficient manner.