Reliability-based Design Optimization of Thermal-Hydraulics Parameters for a 5×5 Single-Span Fuel Assembly Using CFD

Zhang Zhe; Wu Tianhao; Jiang Chao; Jin Desheng; Wang Juntao

doi:10.13832/j.jnpe.2024.10.0071

Volume 46 Issue 5

Oct. 2025

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Zhang Zhe, Wu Tianhao, Jiang Chao, Jin Desheng, Wang Juntao. Reliability-based Design Optimization of Thermal-Hydraulics Parameters for a 5×5 Single-Span Fuel Assembly Using CFD[J]. Nuclear Power Engineering, 2025, 46(5): 124-131. doi: 10.13832/j.jnpe.2024.10.0071

Citation:

Zhang Zhe, Wu Tianhao, Jiang Chao, Jin Desheng, Wang Juntao. Reliability-based Design Optimization of Thermal-Hydraulics Parameters for a 5×5 Single-Span Fuel Assembly Using CFD[J]. Nuclear Power Engineering, 2025, 46(5): 124-131. doi: 10.13832/j.jnpe.2024.10.0071

Citation:

Zhang Zhe, Wu Tianhao, Jiang Chao, Jin Desheng, Wang Juntao. Reliability-based Design Optimization of Thermal-Hydraulics Parameters for a 5×5 Single-Span Fuel Assembly Using CFD[J]. Nuclear Power Engineering, 2025, 46(5): 124-131. doi: 10.13832/j.jnpe.2024.10.0071

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Reliability-based Design Optimization of Thermal-Hydraulics Parameters for a 5×5 Single-Span Fuel Assembly Using CFD

doi: 10.13832/j.jnpe.2024.10.0071

1.
College of Mechanical and Vehicle Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha, 410082, China
2.
China Nuclear Power Technology Research Institute Co., Ltd., Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518000, China
3.
China Nuclear Power Operation Technology Co., Ltd., Wuhan, 430040, China

Received Date: 2024-10-17
Rev Recd Date: 2025-06-22

Available Online: 2025-10-15

Publish Date: 2025-10-15

Abstract

Abstract

To investigate the impact of thermo-hydraulic uncertainty parameters on the safety and economic performance of the fuel assembly under operational conditions, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations were conducted on a 5×5 single-span fuel assembly. Additionally, a sample transfer learning method was developed for reliability analysis, enabling efficient optimization of the fuel assembly's reliability design. The results show that, with a constant total surface heat flux on the fuel rods, optimizing the inlet flow velocity and the heat flux distribution reduces the maximum surface temperature of the fuel rods by 2.6℃. Furthermore, with 99% confidence, the coolant temperature rise exceeds 2℃, and the pressure drop remains below 4400 Pa. This optimization improves thermo-hydraulic safety while maintaining economic efficiency, offering a novel approach for fuel assembly design optimization.
- Nuclear fuel assembly,
- Computational fluid dynamics (CFD),
- Reliability-based design optimization

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References(23)

References

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