Thermal-hydraulic characteristic analysis of porous prismatic CERMET fuel assembly

FAN Yuhan; PENG Minyu; ZHANG Naiwen; XU Honghui; ZHU Guifeng; DAI Ye; ZHANG Fangyuan; YAN Rui; ZOU Yang

doi:10.3724/j.0253-3219.2026.hjs.49.250436

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Thermal-hydraulic characteristic analysis of porous prismatic CERMET fuel assembly

Special Issue of Excellent Papers on The Second Academic Annual Conference of the Research Reactor and Innovative Reactor Association of Chinese Nuclear Society | 更新时间：2026-07-29

- Thermal-hydraulic characteristic analysis of porous prismatic CERMET fuel assembly
- NUCLEAR TECHNIQUES Vol. 49, Issue 7, Article number: 071126(2026)
- 作者机构：
  
  1.中国科学院上海应用物理研究所上海 201800
  2.钍基核裂变能全国重点实验室上海 201800
  3.中国科学院大学北京 100049
- 作者简介：
  
  FAN Yuhan, male, born in 1997, graduated from University of Chinese Academy of Sciences with a doctoral degree in 2025, focusing on space nuclear reactor physics design
  ZOU Yang, E-mail: zouyang@sinap.ac.cn
- 基金信息：
  
  State Key Laboratory Project for Thorium Energy(E455961001)
- DOI：10.3724/j.0253-3219.2026.hjs.49.250436
  CLC： TL99
- Received：26 November 2025，
  
  Revised：2026-03-11，
  
  Online First：29 July 2026，
  
  Published：15 July 2026
- 稿件说明：
移动端阅览
凡玉涵,彭民雨,张乃文等.多孔棱柱形CERMET燃料组件热工水力特性分析[J].核技术,2026,49(07):071126.

FAN Yuhan,PENG Minyu,ZHANG Naiwen,et al.Thermal-hydraulic characteristic analysis of porous prismatic CERMET fuel assembly[J].NUCLEAR TECHNIQUES,2026, 49(07):071126.
凡玉涵,彭民雨,张乃文等.多孔棱柱形CERMET燃料组件热工水力特性分析[J].核技术,2026,49(07):071126. DOI： 10.3724/j.0253-3219.2026.hjs.49.250436. CSTR： 32193.14.hjs.CN31-1342/TL.2026.49.250436.

FAN Yuhan,PENG Minyu,ZHANG Naiwen,et al.Thermal-hydraulic characteristic analysis of porous prismatic CERMET fuel assembly[J].NUCLEAR TECHNIQUES,2026, 49(07):071126. DOI： 10.3724/j.0253-3219.2026.hjs.49.250436. CSTR： 32193.14.hjs.CN31-1342/TL.2026.49.250436.

摘要

未来的深空探测任务对大功率、小型化的空间核反应堆电源需求迫切，氦氙混合气体因传热性能良好、几乎无中子吸收、兼顾堆芯冷却和循环做功等优势，成为空间堆的理想工质。氦氙气体由于压缩性和低普朗特数等特点，在多孔棱柱式金属陶瓷核燃料（Ceramic-Metallic，CERMET）组件中可能形成较大的流动阻力和可压缩流动。本文旨在从压损、温度的角度对棱柱式金属陶瓷兆瓦级气冷反应堆（Prismatic CERMET Megawatt Gas-Cooled Reactor，PC-MGCR）组件的主要结构参数展开优化。基于计算流体动力学（Computational Fluid Dynamics，CFD）建立了棱柱式组件的共轭传热模型并开展研究，验证了氦氙气体（Helium-Xenon，He-Xe）物性模型和湍流模型，分析了子通道配置、燃料体积分数、子通道堵塞等关键参数对流动换热的影响。结果表明：采用均匀分布的子通道设计具有更好的换热特性，相比单孔组件，优化后的61孔组件具有更大的性能评估准则（Performance Evaluation Criterion，PEC）因子；冷却剂速度需要被限制在100 m·s

-1

以下，以避免出现可压缩流动，氦氙气体存在不可忽略的加速压降；CERMET燃料在超过半数（37）的子通道堵塞时，燃料峰值温度为1 611 K，未超过安全限制。计算结果可为新型反应堆的后续优化设计提供数据及模型基础。

Abstract

Background

Future deep-space exploration missions urgently require large-power

miniaturized space nuclear reactor power sources. Helium-xenon mixture

due to its excellent heat transfer performance

no neutron absorption

and the advantages of both core cooling and cycle work

has become an ideal working medium for space reactors. Due to its compressibility and low Prandtl number

considerable flow resistance and compressible flow of He-Xe (Helium-Xenon) gas may exist in the Porous Prismatic Ceramic-Metallic (CERMET) nuclear fuel assemblies.

Purpose

This study aims to optimize the main structural parameters of Prismatic CERMET Megawatt Gas-Cooled Reactor (PC-MGCR) assembly from the perspectives of pressure loss and temperature.

Methods

Firstly

1/12 of the porous prismatic component fuel was selected for geometric modeling

with a sub channel shape of a straight circular hole with a diameter of 1.28 mm. Then

a conjugate heat transfer model for the prismatic assembly was established on the basis of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) to verify the helium-xenon gas physical property model and the turbulence model. Finally

the effects of sub-channel configuration

fuel volume fraction

and sub-channel blockage on flow heat transfer were analyzed.

Results

The results indicate that the assembly design with uniform sub-channels has better heat transfer characteristics

compared with the single-hole assembly

the optimized 61-hole assembly has a larger Performance Evaluation Criterion (PEC) factor. The coolant velocity should be limited to below 100 m·s

-1

in order to prevent the occurrence of compressible flow. The helium-xenon gas also exhibits significant acceleration pressure drop that cannot be ignored. If more than half (37) of the sub-channels are blocked

the CERMET fuel peak temperature reaches 1 611 K

which does not exceed the safety limit.

Conclusions

The calculation results can provide data and model basis for the subsequent optimization design of the new reactor.

关键词

Keywords

references

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