Preliminary uncertainty and sensitivity analysis of the Molten Salt Fast Reactor steady-state using a Polynomial Chaos Expansion method

In this work, we present the results of a preliminary uncertainty quantification and sensitivity analysis study of the Molten Salt Fast Reactor (MSFR) behavior at steady-state performed by applying a non-intrusive Polynomial Chaos Expansion (PCE) approach. An in-house high-fidelity multi-physics simulation tool is used as reactor reference...

Uncertainty quantification in steady state simulations of a molten salt system using polynomial chaos expansion analysis

Uncertainty Quantification (UQ) of numerical simulations is highly relevant in the study and design of complex systems. Among the various approaches available, Polynomial Chaos Expansion (PCE) analysis has recently attracted great interest. It belongs to non-intrusive spectral projection methods and consists of constructing system responses...

Results from a multi-physics numerical benchmark for codes dedicated to molten salt fast reactors

Verification and validation of multi-physics codes dedicated to fast-spectrum molten salt reactors (MSR) is a very challenging task. Existing benchmarks are meant for single-physics codes, while experimental data for validation are absent. This is concerning, given the importance numerical simulations have in the development of fast MSR...

A multi-physics solver for liquid-fueled fast systems based on the discontinuous Galerkin FEM discretization

Performing accurate numerical simulations of molten salt reactors is challenging, especially in case of fast-spectrum designs, due to the unique physics phenomena characterizing these systems. The limitations of codes traditionally used in the nuclear community often require the development of novel high-fidelity multi-physics tools to...

A discontinuous Galerkin FEM multi-physics solver for the molten salt fast reactor

Numerical simulations of fast MSRs constitute a challenging task. In fact, classical codes employed in reactor physics cannot be used, and new dedicated multi-physics tools must be developed, to capture the unique features of these systems: the strong coupling between neutronics and thermal-hydraulics due to the use of a liquid fuel, the...