2024 - Sustainable Industrial Processing Summit
SIPS 2024 Volume 8. Monteiro Intl. Symp / Composite, Ceramic and Nano Materials Processing
| Editors: | F. Kongoli, P. Assis, H.A.C. Lopera, S. Diaz, V. Scarpini Candido |
| Publisher: | Flogen Star OUTREACH |
| Publication Year: | 2024 |
| Pages: | 288 pages |
| ISBN: | 978-1-998384-18-1 (CD) |
| ISSN: | 2291-1227 (Metals and Materials Processing in a Clean Environment Series) |
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SIMULATION OF A HYPOTHETICAL PWR FUEL ELEMENT WITH 316 STEEL CLADDING ENHANCED BY GRAPHENE NANOTUBES
Thomaz Jacintho Lopes1; Ary Machado de Azevedo2; Sergio Monteiro2; Marcos Paulo Cavaliere de Medeiros2; Fernando Manuel Araújo Moreira2;1MILITARY INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING, Duque de Caxias, Brazil; 2MILITARY INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil;
Type of Paper: Regular
Id Paper: 206
Topic: 18
Abstract:
This study explores the significance of simulations performed in MCNP5 and the modifications applied to 316 steel to enhance energy efficiency in nuclear power production. Graphene Nanotubes (GNTs) are examined as promising additives owing to their low absorption cross-section for thermal neutrons, facilitating increased neutron involvement in fission and heat generation. Using the MCNP5 code[1], simulations were carried out to analyze a hypothetical UO2 fuel element with varying enrichment zones to assess its performance[2,3]. The findings underscore the substantial impact of incorporating graphene nanotubes[4] into the fuel cladding alloy on neutron production, implying a potential compromise in energy generation efficiency. The comparison between the results of two simulations allowed us to assess the impact of including graphene nanotubes[5,6] on the criticality of the simulated fuel. If the addition of these nanotubes [7] results in an improvement in criticality, this may indicate superior performance of the nuclear reactor, with higher fuel efficiency and reduced nuclear waste generation. On the other hand, if the inclusion does not positively affect or even reduces criticality, this suggests that this strategy is not viable for optimizing nuclear fuel performance [8]. Therefore, the results of this analysis have significant implications for the development of more efficient and environmentally sustainable nuclear fuels. The result of the effective multiplication factor (keff) for the studied clad rod was keff=1.12086 ± 0.00064, while the reference value without doping was keff=1.13565 ± 0.00076, resulting in a relative percentage deviation of approximately Δ = -1.32%. Doping 316 steel with graphene nanotubes causes a significant alteration in neutron production, which may compromise efficiency in energy generation.