Assessment of the nano-fluid effects on the thermal reactivity feedback coefficients in the VVER-1000 nuclear reactor with nano-fluid as a coolant using thermal hydraulic and neutronics analysis

Increasing efficiency and improving energy consumption in the nuclear power plants have always been of interest for researchers. So, they try to improve the heat transfer in the applied systems. Hence, extensive research has been performed to apply an alternative fluid which has more suitable thermal properties instead of the conventional fluids such as water. One of these efforts is application of nanoparticles in a coolant fluid. The most important advantage of the nanoparticles is increase of the thermal conductivity and heat transfer coefficient. Considering the importance of the nanofluids effect as a coolant in the nuclear reactors on the reactor dynamic parameters, in this paper, for the first time, fuel and coolant temperature reactivity coefficients which have important contribution in the dynamic analysis and safety requirements of the nuclear reactors, are calculated in a VVER-1000 Nuclear Reactor with nanofluid as a coolant. In this study, using different volumetric percentages and sizes of Al2O3 (Alumina) nanoparticle, the important and fundamental parameters of the VVER-1000 reactor, including dynamic reactor parameters such as temperature reactivity coefficients are calculated. For this purpose, at the first, the equivalent cell of the fuel rod and the surrounding coolant nanofluid are simulated in the hexagonal fuel cell of the VVER-1000 reactor. Then, the thermal hydraulic calculations are carried out at different concentrations and sizes of the nanoparticle and their effects on the heat transfer parameters such as the heat transfer coefficient, temperature of coolant and fuel are assessed. Also, using the neutron calculating codes, the reactor core is simulated and the effect of coolant and fuel temperature changes on the effective multiplication factor is calculated and analyzed. Through the thermal hydraulic and neutronics calculations, the fuel and coolant temperature reactivity coefficients are calculated and analyzes versus variation of the concentration and size. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.