General information
Organisation
The French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) is a key player in research, development and innovation in four main areas :
• defence and security,
• nuclear energy (fission and fusion),
• technological research for industry,
• fundamental research in the physical sciences and life sciences.
Drawing on its widely acknowledged expertise, and thanks to its 16000 technicians, engineers, researchers and staff, the CEA actively participates in collaborative projects with a large number of academic and industrial partners.
The CEA is established in ten centers spread throughout France
Reference
SL-DES-24-0182
Thesis topic details
Category
Engineering science
Thesis topics
Numerical simulation of particles driven by natural convection. Application to severe accidents of Generation 4 nuclear reactors.
Contract
Thèse
Job description
This thesis is part of the general framework of safety studies associated with Severe Accidents in Sodium-cooled Fast Neutron Reactors. More specifically, it focuses on the modelling of corium debris beds and associated phenomena, which are specific to this reactor technology. In particular, it aims to produce physical models describing the self-levelling of these beds by following an upscaling approach based on the so-called volume averaging method. Based on the results of previous work, and on a simulation tool coupling LBM (Lattice Boltzmann Method) and DEM (Discrete Element Method), the proposed research will follow a two-scale approach. First, the phenomena of interest will be simulated at the pore scale, selecting the most significant closure problems. It will be followed by the proper upscaling to propose new physical laws for the most influential effective properties of the debris bed.
The work carried out here in the context of the safety of sodium fast reactors is generic and the establishment of the methodology for determining closure relationships (in this case, effective properties of the medium) for a larger-scale numerical tool is innovative and will find applications in many other contexts dealing with problems related to fluid/grain interactions.
This work participates in the revival of nuclear power with a flourishing of start-ups based on sodium reactors and collaboration with Japan on the safety of this type of reactor.
A master internship is proposed by the team in addition to the thesis.
University / doctoral school
Ingénierie - Matériaux - Environnement - Energétique - Procédés - Production (IMEP2)
Grenoble INP
Thesis topic location
Site
Cadarache
Requester
Position start date
01/10/2024
Person to be contacted by the applicant
CLAVIER Rémi remi.clavier@cea.fr
CEA
DES/IRESNE/DTN/SMTA/LMAG
Cadarache
Bâtiment 219
13115 Saint-Paul-lez-Durance Cedex
0442254374
Tutor / Responsible thesis director
Seiler Nathalie nathalie.seiler@cea.fr
CEA
DES/IRESNE/DTN/SMTA/LMAG
CEA Cadarache- bât 238 - 13108 St Paul-lez-Durance cedex
0442256473
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