discovered_01_2013

discovered 01.13 PORTRAIT WWW.Hzdr.DE // An HZDR junior research group is developing innovative fuel cycles for nuclear reactors and conducting research on how to improve the safety of the next generation of reactors. _Text . Emil Fridman & Christine Bohnet And the research continues... Neutron physics or nuclear technology? For the recently established Reactor Physics Junior Research Group at the HZDR the boundary between these two fields is somewhat blurred. The group consists of three doctoral students from the Ukraine, Israel, and the Czech Republic, and Emil Fridman as head of the group. Its main focus is on innovative nuclear reactors and advanced nuclear fuel cycles. In nuclear technology, however, experiments are very complex and costly, which is why the work of the scientists is all about computer simulations. The current fleet of nuclear reactors, dominated by thermal- neutron light water reactors of Generation-II and -III, provides extensive experience in reactor operation and is presumed to be both safe and reliable. However, these reactors are characterized by inefficient fuel utilization. Innovative Generation-IV reactors could significantly improve the utilization of natural resources while minimizing radioactive waste. These reactors have to be designed in such a way that they comply with today’s sustainability goals and modern safety requirements. The successful design of nuclear reactors depends to a large extent on the availability PROGRESS: Weekly meetings are very important to Emil Fridman (right) as they are a venue for scientists Susan Dürigen and Yurii Bilodid to present their research findings. of sophisticated computer simulation codes which can accurately predict the behavior of nuclear reactors under normal and accident conditions. The Fridman Group contributes to the development of a computer code system to be used for the simulation of Generation-IV nuclear reactors including high-temperature gas cooled reactors, sodium-cooled and lead-cooled fast reactors. The code system is based on the reactor dynamics code DYN3D developed at the HZDR for the safety analysis of operating light water reactors and used by more than 15 research organizations in Germany and beyond. Generation- IV reactors differ considerably from the conventional light water reactors with respect to neutron physics behavior as well as thermal-hydraulic and thermal-mechanical properties. Consequently, the light water reactors' oriented DYN3D code has to undergo substantial modifications before it can be applied for the modeling of novel reactor types. Codes must be fed "In some sense, a reactor simulation code is similar to a car. Just as a car requires fuel to run, a code must be fed with the proper data describing the nuclear properties of the reactor core components. Only then can you reliably perform simulations." Yet, according to Fridman, "preparing the data is anything but straightforward." The methodology

discovered_01_2013

Pages