Strain Analysis of Reactor Type Core Structures by Considering Uncertainties of Graphite’s Properties

Abstract

The power reactor with high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) technology uses uranium as the reactor fuel. The energy from fission is converted to electrical energy or used for other needs such as hydrogen production or other research activities at high temperatures of around 700 C. This operation does not allow the use of metal as the core material for the reactor. The material that fits the requirements as a core structure is graphite. Graphite material has specific characteristics, namely the parameters of the modulus of elasticity, coefficient of thermal expansion, and the volume which changes due to temperature and neutron dose. Because the structure of the reactor core is a vital component in the reactor, this research will develop a method for the design of the reactor core structure with graphite material. The design method is based on "Design by Analysis" which specifically refers to the strain analysis on each of the reactor core components. The design method developed is based on the finite element method. The object of this research is the side reflector made from the Toyo Tanso IG-110 series graphite. Based on the analysis of heat distribution and heat stress for the material before the effect of neutron exposure, the temperature distribution on the side reflector was found, as well as the displacement and heat stress that occurs isotropic properties, Young's modulus and Poisson’s ratio values can be verified and estimated. The purpose of this research is to analyze the strain of the reactor core structure by taking into account the uncertainty of the graphite properties.