Presentation av examensarbete: Nuclear Fuel Bundle Design Optimization using a Simplex Method

Friday 17 Oct 2014, 10:15 → 11:15 Europe/Stockholm

H530 (Fysiska institutionen-Physics Department)

Anders Haulin
A strategy for nuclear fuel bundle design optimization in boiling water reactors (BWRs), using a simplex method, is presented and examined. The objective of the study is to see how an automatic optimization scheme can create nuclear designs for use in BWR fuel bundles and how the scheme can be improved. Challenges with applying linear simplex optimization to non-linear bundle physics lie in approximating bundle characteristic parameters accurately while keeping calculation times down. Several areas for improvements are found in the calculations and investigation of these find that many can improve accuracy only at the cost of deteriorating calculation time, whereas others such as utilizing symmetries can improve accuracy at no cost. The important R-factor is examined in detail and its implementation in a simplex optimization is studied and improvements to it suggested. It is found that automatic fuel bundle optimization using a simplex method can generate feasible designs and in some cases perform better than layouts made by nuclear designers. With simplex targets and constraints too narrowly specified they will however underperform in areas other than the target function. The reference design entered into the optimization is also shown to be of great importance to performance. It is finally stressed that the optimization framework does have potential to improve the nuclear design process but needs a user with nuclear design experience to operate well and an improved data-management system to be user-friendly.
Opponent: Fredrik Lindelöw
Examinator: Bengt Martinsson, kärnfysik
Handledare LTH: Jan Pallon, kärnfysik