Stress analysis of the TMSR graphite component under irradiation conditions

TMSR uses nuclear graphite as a neutron moderator, a reflector, and the structural material, and utilizes molten salt as a coolant. When running normally, the graphite components are immersed in the molten salt.Thus, the nuclear graphite comes into direct contact with the molten salt, which infiltrates the open pores of the nuclear graphite. This infiltration may influence the stress analysis of the graphite component. In this study, a User Material subroutine was used to analyze the stress distribution of the graphite component, both with and without molten salt infiltration. Many influence factors were taken into consideration, such as the dose gradient, the shape of the permeation zone, and the permeation area. The results show that the dose gradient, shape, and area of the permeation zone all significantly influence the stress distribution. Furthermore, the results of the stress analysis indicate that for a regular graphite component with a square cross section, the peak maximum principal stress value occurs at the center of the cross section, and the symmetry of the maximum principal stress distributions was modified by quarter circle and half ellipse permeation zones.