CFD analysis of the safety related thermal hydraulic parameters describing a flow domain of an experimental medical installation (BNCT converter) inside of the Research Reactor MARIA
Abstract
The Boron-Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT) is an experimental radiotherapy technique used to treat the most aggressive types of brain tumors that cannot be surgically removed from the human body. To date, clinical trials of BNCT have been initiated at only a handful of reactors around the world, but advanced studies on BNCT are still being carried out in numerous research centers where the suitable or convertible reactors are available. Construction of BNCT facilities is justified only at some existing reactors. Others can possibly be adapted for BNCT by using fission converters to modify the energy spectrum of the primary neutron beam, which makes it useful for treatment purposes. The BNCT converter, designed for use in the MARIA research reactor at the National Centre for Nuclear Research [W1] (NCBJ) in Świerk near Warsaw, Poland, consists of 99 fuel rods (containing low-enriched uranium) inside of the aluminum box. Since its installation affects the core layout and possibly may affect the normal operating regime of the reactor, additional safety analyses must be performed to prove the existence of sufficient safety margins. In this study modern Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) techniques have been applied to assess the maximum temperature of the rod wall surfaces, the temperature difference between the inlet and outlet of the converter channel, as well as the maximum and average velocity of the fluid and to compare them with the results presented in the reference analytical study. According to [W1]http://ncbj.gov.pl/enReferences
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[2] Nakagawa Y., Pooh K., Kobayashi T., Kageji T., Uyama S., Matsumura A., Hiroaki K.: Clinical review of the Japanese experience with boron neutron capture therapy and a proposed strategy using epithermal neutron beams, Journal of Neuro-Oncology, Vol. 62(2003), 1, pp. 87-99.
[3] Diaz A. Z.: Assessment of the results from the phase I/II boron neutron capture therapy trials at the Brookhaven National Laboratory from
a clinician’s point of view, Journal of Neuro-Oncology, Vol. 62(2003), 1, pp. 101-109.
[4] Capala J., Stenstam B. H., Kurt Sköld K., et al.: Boron neutron capture therapy for glioblastoma multiforme: clinical studies in Sweden, Journal of Neuro-Oncology, Vol. 62(2003), 1, pp. 135-144.
[5] Harling O. K., Riley K. J.: Fission reactor neutron sources for neutron capture therapy – a critical review, Journal of Neuro-Oncology, Vol. 62(2003), 1, pp. 7-17.
[6] Golnik N., Pytel K.: Irradiation Facilities for BNCT at Research Reactor MARIA in Poland, Polish Journal of Medical Physics and Eng., Vol. 12(2006), 3, pp. 143-153.
[7] Pytel K., Mieleszczenko W., Dorosz M., Kulikowska T., Marcinkowska Z.: Safety Analyses of BNCT converter, NCBJ Internal Report, 2010.
[8] Krzysztoszek G., Gołąb A., Jaroszewicz J.: Operation of the MARIA Research Reactor, IEA POLATOM Annual Report, 2010.
[9] Deen J. R., Woodruff W. L., Costescu C. I., Leopando L. S.: WIMS-ANL User Manual, Rev. 6, ANL/TD/TM-99-07, 2004.
[10] Olson A. P.: A User’s Guide for the REBUS-PC Code, Version 1.4, ANL/RETR/TM-32, 2011.
[11] Versteeg H. K., Malalasekera W.: An Introduction to Computational Fluid Dynamics The Finite Volume Method, Prentice Hall, 2007.
[12] Tu J., Yeoh G. H., Liu C.: Computational Fluid Dynamics: A Practical Approach, Elsevier Inc., 2008.
[13] Ferziger J.H., Perić M.: Computational Methods for Fluid Dynamics (3rd ed.), Springer, 2002.
[14] ANSYS, Inc.: ANSYS Fluent Theory Guide, Release 14.0 (2011)
[15] Lavialle G. et al.: CATHARE 2 v2.5_2: Description of the Base Revision 6.1 Physical Laws Used in the 1d, 0d and 3d Modules, 2008.
Published
2012-12-20
How to Cite
PRUSIŃSKI, Piotr Andrzej et al.
CFD analysis of the safety related thermal hydraulic parameters describing a flow domain of an experimental medical installation (BNCT converter) inside of the Research Reactor MARIA.
Journal of Power Technologies, [S.l.], v. 92, n. 4, p. 227--240, dec. 2012.
ISSN 2083-4195.
Available at: <https://papers.itc.pw.edu.pl/index.php/JPT/article/view/351>. Date accessed: 19 apr. 2024.
Issue
Section
Nuclear Fuels and Reactor Safety
Keywords
CFD; research reactor MARIA; safety limits; BNCT; fission converter; Świerk Computing Centre
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