Calculation of core physics parameter of thorium molten salt reactor with solid fuel

Chinese Academy of Sciences has developed the 2 MW core design of thorium molten salt reactor with solid fuel (TMSR-SF). By using the core design as a reference case, the Monte Carlo MCNP code was used to develop an accurate description of the arrangement of TRISO fuel particles and fuel pebbles. A three-dimensional model was developed for the whole core including all the fuel elements, coolant, graphite reflector, central graphite channels, control rods and channels in the reflector. The following reactor core physics parameters were calculated for TMSR-SF: Primary effective multiplication factor, neutron energy spectrum, power distribution, control system worth, shutdown margin, reactivity coefficient and neutron kinetic parameters. The results provide reactor core physics parameters for physical optimization and thermal hydraulic steady and transient analysis for TMSR-SF.