Publications associées à FAST: An advanced code system for fast reactor transient analysis

Experimental study and interpretative modelling of the Power Exhaust in Configurations with Multiple X-Points in TCV

Nuclear fusion presents a promising clean energy source to mitigate future energy crises, with magnetic confinement fusion well-positioned to provide a baseload scenario to power future reactors. The unmitigated power exhaust of such reactors threatens its ...

EPFL2024

Neutron-Gamma Noise Measurements in a Zero-Power Reactor Using Organic Scintillators

Andreas Pautz, Oskari Ville Pakari, Vincent Pierre Lamirand

Noise measurements in light water reactor systems aid in generating validation data for integral point kinetic parameter predictions and generating monitoring parameters for reactor safety and safeguards. The CROCUS zero-power reactor has been used to supp ...

Ieee-Inst Electrical Electronics Engineers Inc2024

Gamma noise to non-invasively monitor nuclear research reactors

Pavel Frajtag, Andreas Pautz, Oskari Ville Pakari, Vincent Pierre Lamirand, Tom Mager

Autonomous nuclear reactor monitoring is a key aspect of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s strategy to ensure nonproliferation treaty compliance. From the rise of small modular reactor technology, decentralized nuclear reactor fleets may strain the ...

Nature Research2024

Bridging Monte Carlo worlds: a new framework for accelerator simulations applied on shielding and machine protection studies

André Donadon Servelle

This thesis delves into the critical study of particle transport in matter, particularly emphasising its implications for machine protection at CERN's accelerator complex and facilities. To conduct studies of this nature, FLUKA and Geant4 stand out within ...

EPFL2024

A holistic investigation of photocatalytic hydrogen generation

Sangram Ashok Savant

Photocatalytic (PC) solar hydrogen production is a promising way to provide green hydrogen using only sunlight and abundant reactants such as water. PC approaches use catalytically active semiconductor particles suspended in liquid electrolytes. The partic ...

EPFL2023

Extension of GeN-Foam to departure from nucleate boiling prediction and validation against the OECD/NRC PSBT benchmark

Alessandro Scolaro, Carlo Fiorina, Hao Qin, Yuhang Niu

The prediction of departure from nucleate boiling (DNB) has always been a crucial aspect of thermal-hydraulic codes for the analysis of Light Water Reactors. In this paper, GeN-Foam, a multi-physics code developed based on OpenFOAM, has been enhanced to in ...

Elsevier Science Sa2023

Design of an Instrumented Fuel Rod for Intra-pin Neutron Flux Measurements in the CROCUS Experimental Reactor

Andreas Pautz, Vincent Pierre Lamirand, Mathieu Hursin, Thomas Jean-François Ligonnet, Won Dong Shin, Tom Mager

In response to the need for validating high-fidelity deterministic neutronics solvers capable of pin-resolved neutron flux distributions, an instrumented fuel rod was designed for the experimental reactor CROCUS, operated by EPFL’s Laboratory for Reactor P ...

2023

Analysis of the preliminary campaign for the PETALE program

Andreas Pautz, Vincent Pierre Lamirand, Thomas Jean-François Ligonnet, Axel Guy Marie Laureau

The PETALE program aims to provide new experimental data to constrain the stainless steel nuclear data. In this frame, a preliminary measurement campaign has been performed to characterize the neutron flux in key positions of the CROCUS reactor and to deve ...

EDP SCIENCES S A2023

Advanced methodologies for modeling and assessment of SFR safety functions

Janos Bodi

The present doctoral work was performed to contribute to the conceptual design development and safety assessment of a Generation IV Sodium Fast Reactor (SFR) in the frame of the European Sodium Fast Reactor Safety Measures Assessment and Research Tools (ES ...

EPFL2022

Investigation and Validation of Unstructured Mesh Methodologies for Modeling Experimental Reactors

Andreas Pautz, Mathieu Hursin, Carlo Fiorina, Tom Mager

This paper summarizes a methodology developed at Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne for the neutronic modeling of the CROCUS experimental reactor and proposes solutions to the challenges one may face while modeling a research reactor with a complex g ...

MDPI2022

Thermodynamic modelling of hydrogen production in sorbent-enhanced biochar-direct chemical looping process

Hydrogen (H-2) has been widely considered the clean energy carrier of choice for emerging renewable energy generation technologies. However, H-2 is a secondary fuel mainly derived from natural gas. Over the past decades, research on developing H-2 producti ...

2022

Delayed Hydride Cracking in Irradiated and Unirradiated Zircaloy-2 Cladding

Aaron William Colldeweih

Zirconium alloys used in the nuclear industry are exposed to extreme conditions undergoing high levels of irradiation damage and corrosion. Zircaloy-2 is used as nuclear fuel cladding in boiling water reactors and for the encapsulation of the spallation ta ...

EPFL2022

A Hybrid Approach to Neutron Transport with Thermal-hydraulic Feedback for Reactor Transient Analysis

Alexander Aures

Understanding the time-dependent behaviour of a nuclear reactor following an intended or unintended change of the reactor conditions is of crucial importance to the safe operation of nuclear reactors. Safety evaluations of nuclear reactors involve the anal ...

EPFL2021

A Coarse-mesh Methodology for the Analysis of One and Two-phase Nuclear Reactor Thermal-hydraulics in a Multi-physics Context

Stefan Radman

The analysis of nuclear reactors for performance and safety assessment benefits from the use of computational tools. In this context, this work aims at the development and application of a thermal-hydraulics methodology and related software that respond to ...

EPFL2021

Development of a Novel Finite Volume Methodology for Multi-Dimensional Fuel Performance Applications

Alessandro Scolaro

Fuel performance codes are an essential tool for ensuring the safe and economic opera-tion of nuclear reactors. Traditionally, these codes have been developed following a simple 1.5-D modelling approach, where the fuel behavior is simplified by assuming ax ...

EPFL2021

Drift-related transport and plasma-neutral interaction in the TCV divertor

Mirko Wensing

Thermonuclear fusion of light atoms is the primary energy source of stars, such as our Sun, that led to the emergence of life on Earth. However, its economic exploitation as a virtually unlimited and clean energy source is yet to be developed. One of the m ...

EPFL2021

Production flexibility of small run-of-river power plants: KWGO smart-storage case study

Pedro Filipe De Almeida Manso, Steve Crettenand, Matthieu Dreyer, Vlad Hasmatuchi, Jessica Zordan, Siamak Alimirzazadeh

In the framework of the new Swiss feed-in-tariff system for Small Hydropower Plants (SHP), the aim of the SmallFLEX project, led by HES-SO Valais and performed in collaboration with EPFL, WSL, EAWAG, PVE and FMV, is to show how SHP can provide winter peak ...

IOP PUBLISHING LTD2021

A membrane-less electrolyzer with porous walls for high throughput and pure hydrogen production dagger

Demetri Psaltis, Seyyed Mohammad Hosseini Hashemi, Steven Alexandre Schenk, Pooria Hadikhani

Membrane-less electrolyzers utilize fluidic forces instead of solid barriers for the separation of electrolysis gas products. These electrolyzers have low ionic resistance, a simple design, and the ability to work with electrolytes at different pH values. ...

ROYAL SOC CHEMISTRY2021

Development of Advanced Methodologies for Monitoring and Modelling of Neutron Noise in Modern LWR Cores

Dionysios Chionis

Nuclear reactors are inherently stochastic systems, in which neutronic and thermal-hydraulic parameters fluctuate continuously even during steady-state conditions. In addition, structural components vibrate due to the coolant hydraulic forces. This stochas ...

EPFL2020

In-core dosimetry for the validation of neutron spectra in the CROCUS reactor

Pavel Frajtag, Andreas Pautz, Vincent Pierre Lamirand, Axel Guy Marie Laureau, Yifeng Jiang

The present article describes the preliminary validation study of simulated in-core and reflector n eutron spectra in preparation of oncoming experimental programs in the zero-power reactor CROCUS at EPFL. For this purpose, a set of activation foils were i ...

E D P SCIENCES2020