Thermophysical Properties Models of Select Materials in Micro Nuclear Reactors

Abstract

TriStructural ISOtropic (TRISO) fuel may be considered passively safe thanks to its high temperature melting resistance and fission product retention. For this reason, Micro Nuclear Reactor (MNR) designers tend to favour TRISO fuel in their designs. MNR design safety cases typically rely on TRISO in conjunction with a large negative temperature reactivity feedback provided by the moderator. The fuel component of temperature reactivity feedback is relatively small, making heat transfer from the TRISO kernel into the moderator an essential kinetics problem for validating the safety of a reactor. This work presents thermophysical properties models of select materials that are present in MNRs. These properties may facilitate the required coupled heat transfer – reactor kinetics simulations needed for validation.