Designing a testbed to rev up the transition to Generation IV nuclear reactors
Nuclear power is one of the leading carbon-free electricity generation methods. In 2018, nuclear energy provided more than 10 percent of global electricity generation, with the United States being the top producer in the world. The U.S. has the largest fleet of nuclear power plants, generating more than 800 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity, or one-fifth of America’s total generated electricity. These power plants operated at full capacity more than 92 percent of the time in 2018, making nuclear power the most reliable energy source in the U.S.
With increasing demands for electricity worldwide, nuclear power generation is projected to grow by nearly three-quarters (73 percent) by 2040. Meanwhile, most existing reactors are on track to retire in the next few decades. To improve the safety, sustainability and efficiency, as well as lower the cost, of nuclear power plants, Generation IV reactors are being developed.
But we need to overcome a hurdle first. While Generation IV reactors are attractive, making them a successful reality requires rapid and accurate research and development of new materials and nuclear fuels. For that to happen, these novel materials and fuels need to be tested in a fast neutron environment for Generation IV reactors. However, the U.S. has not had such testing capability since the Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF) was shut down in the 1990s.
To enable our nation to maintain its technology leadership in advanced reactor systems and meet rising energy demand, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) established the Versatile Test Reactor (VTR) program. Through this initiative — involving government, industry and academic cooperation — the DOE will support important science and technology efforts, including testing advanced reactor fuels and innovative structural materials, testing novel components and instruments, and validating advanced modeling and simulation tools.
The design and construction of the VTR is based on proven technology in existing reactor designs and extensive operating experiences. As “versatile” suggests, the VTR will provide testing capability for different Generation IV reactors that use diverse designs and coolants.
A Purdue research team on which I serve is contributing to this solution in its early stages. Our group, led by Nuclear Engineering Head and Professor Seungjin Kim and Distinguished Professor Mamoru Ishii, is collaborating with Argonne National Laboratory and Idaho National Laboratory to assist in designing the VTR’s sodium-cooled cartridge loop to investigate its overall functionality and performance.
This research focuses on investigating the thermal-hydraulics of the sodium cartridge loop — a key component in VTR where new materials and nuclear fuels will be tested — through scaled experiments and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations. Based on our research results, a computational design tool, validated by experimental data, will be developed to help design the VTR cartridge loop — a crucial step toward the next-generation nuclear innovation.
Ran Kong, PhD
Postdoctoral Research Associate, School of Nuclear Engineering
College of Engineering, Purdue University
Related Links
Purdue Engineering Podcast: Dr. Ran Kong Talks About the Versatile Test Reactor (VTR)
VTR background: Argonne National Laboratory
VTR background: Idaho National Laboratory
INL: Versatile Test Reactor key to answering big science questions for university researchers
