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Following the severe accidents that occurred at the Japanese Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in 2011, research and development for improving the safety of Light Water Reactors (LWRs) have been underway in the United States. The U.S. Congress has directed the Department of Energy (DOE) to develop new Accident Tolerant Fuel (ATF) materials. These fuel and cladding materials would potentially have enhanced accident tolerance to improve the reactor performance and safety characteristics under both normal and severe accident conditions. Evaluating the heat transfer characteristics of the newly developed alloys are essential for reactor safety. Quantities including pool and flow boiling heat transfer coefficients and critical heat flux (CHF) are key inputs to determine the thermal safety margin for nuclear reactor system in both Pressurized Water Reactors and Boiling Water Reactors (PWRs and BWRs).
In parallel, generation IV reactors are being researched for commercial applications. These enhanced safety designed reactors are operating at a higher temperature compared to the current LWRs which would have a highly economical life cycle (low energy production cost). The passive cooling system, an essential design concept of these reactors, including Fluoride Salt-Cooled High-Temperature Reactors (FHRs), requires an innovating technology to enhance decay heat removal during the reactor shutdown and driving advanced thermal-to-electric power cycles such as super-critical CO2 cycles.
This talk will summarize some of the thermal-hydraulic research activities at UNM to support the ATF program for LWRs and developing new heat exchanger concepts to support FHRs.
About the Presenter
About the Presenter
Dr. Amir Ali received his Ph.D. with distinction in Mechanical Engineering from University of New Mexico (UNM), Dec 2013. Previously, he had received his Bachelor and master degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Benha University in Egypt. After graduation, he worked as a postdoctoral research fellow and currently he is a Research Assistant Professor in both Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering departments at UNM leading multiple thermal fluid research activities at Thermal-Fluid and Reactor Safety lab at UNM supporting LWRs and advanced reactor technologies.
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