Thermal hydraulic benchmarking exercises to support fluoride-salt-cooled, high-temperature reactor (FHR) licensing

The U.S. Department of Energy is supporting two Integrated Research Projects (IRPs) to study fluoridesalt-cooled, high-temperature reactors (FHRs). A major element of the work of these two IRPs involves performing a series of benchmarking exercises to support design and licensing of future FHRs. This paper presents the initial strategy for thermal hydraulic benchmarking exercises for FHRs as they are currently studied at the University of California, Berkeley (UCB); the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; the University of Wisconsin, Madison; the University of New Mexico; the Georgia Institute of Technology; the Ohio State University; and Texas A&M University. The benchmarking exercises are to verify and validate key thermal hydraulics codes for future use in safety analysis and licensing of FHRs. Code-to-code comparisons as well as code validation exercises using experimental facilities such as the Compact Integral Effects Test facility at UCB are foreseen as part of these efforts. A brief overview of the relevant thermal hydraulic experimental facilities within the two FHR IRPs as well as first benchmarking exercise considerations for thermal hydraulic benchmarking are provided here and may encourage participation in the ongoing FHR development from institutions and experts other than the listed universities. First results for the example problem sets are not provided at this early stage of the project but will be part of future meetings and workshops within the IRPs and with other FHR benchmarking participants.