Matteo BETTIOL / Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Spain
Attached MS student
Refined burnup calculations for ESFR-SMART metallic core with Serpent and Fred codes
Started in September 2024
Completed in February 2025
Alessio ROSSI / EPFL
PhD study
Definition of fuel cycle performance criteria and assessment of Swiss nuclear waste transmutation options
Started in October 2024
Completed in September 2028
Emilio MORA / University of Madrid, Spain
MS study
Modeling of thermal storage for European Sodium Fast Reactor
Started in September 2024
Completed in December 2024
Alexis DE VILLEPIN / ESPCI Paris PSL
Attached MS student
Coupling thermo-dynamics and burnup codes GEMS & EQL0d for MSR simulation
Started in April 2024
Completed in June 2024
Mathis BARTH / EPFL-ETHZ MS thesis
Neutronic and Thermal-Hydraulic Modeling of 360 MWth European Sodium Fast Reactor
Started in February 2024
Completed in August 2024
Daniele TIMPANO / EPFL-ETHZ MS thesis
Metallic Fuel Behaviour Modeling for the European Sodium Fast Reactor
Started in February 2024
Completed in November 2024
Yutong CHEN/ Xi’an Jiaotong University of China
Attached PhD student supported by CSC Scholarship
Implementation of drift-flux model in ROOSTER code
Started in January 2024
Completed in December 2024
Yichao MA/ Xi’an Jiaotong University of China
Attached PhD student supported by CSC Scholarship
Oxide and metalic fuel behaviour analysis with FRED code
Started in November 2023
Completed in October 2024
Josef SABOL / Czech Technical University in Prague
Attached MS student
Impact of fission products and neutron leakage on equilibrium fuel cycle in 22 different reactors
Started in September 2023
Completed in January 2024
Milica KRSTOVIC / EPFL-ETHZ MS thesis
Applicability of CRAM on Bateman equations, point kinetics equations and their combination
Started in February 2023
Completed in August 2023
Francis BORYS / EPFL-ETHZ MS thesis
Identification and evaluation of transmutation criteria for selected reactors
Started in February 2023
Completed in August 2023
Lei ZHOU/ Xi’an Jiaotong University of China
Attached PhD student supported by CSC Scholarship
Thermal-hydraulic analysis of LBE loop NACIE with TRACE code
Started in January 2023
Completed in December 2023
Chaoquin DENG/ Xi’an Jiaotong University of China
Attached PhD student supported by CSC Scholarship
MOX fuel base irradiation analysis with FRED code
Started in January 2023
Completed in December 2023
Joseph SANTORA / EPFL-ETHZ MS thesis
Two-fluid Breed & Burn MCFR parametric study
Started in February 2022
Completed in August 2022
David LAKS / EPFL-ETHZ MS thesis
Development of 3D neutron kinetics in the ROOSTER code
Started in February 2022
Completed in August 2022
Xiao LUO / University of Science and Technology of China
Attached PhD student supported by CSC Scholarship
Modeling of NACIE test in frame of IAEA CRP
Started in January 2022
Completed in December 2022
Yangyang WANG / Xi’an Jiaotong University of China
Attached PhD student supported by CSC Scholarship
Modeling of fuel behaviour in ROOSTER code
Started in December 2021
Completed in November 2022
Janos BODI / EPFL
PhD study
Assessment of safety measures for European Sodium Fast Reactor
Started in November 2017
Completed in August 2022
Sebastian NYVLT / CTU Prague
Visiting PhD student
Delayed neutron emission in research reactor modeling
Started in October 2021
Completed in March 2022
Joseph SANTORA / EPFL-ETHZ semester project
Two-fluid Breed & Burn MCFR parametric study
Started in October 2021
Completed in January 2022
Rodrigo GONZALEZ GONZAGA DE OLIVEIRA / EPFL
PhD study
Improved methodology for transient analysis of the Molten Salt Fast Reactor
Started in February 2017
Completed in January 2022
David LAKS / EPFL-ETHZ semester project
Development of adjoint flux solver in the ROOSTER code
Started in October 2021
Completed in January 2022
Cheng ZHANG / Xi’an Jiaotong University of China
Attached PhD student supported by CSC Scholarship
Modeling of Fission Gas Behaviour
Started in February 2021
Completed in January 2022
Yu LIANG / Xi’an Jiaotong University of China
Attached PhD student supported by CSC Scholarship
Modeling of Core Thermal Hydraulics using MOOSE framework
Started in January 2021
Completed in December 2021
Jonathan DIETZ / EPFL-ETHZ MS study
Chemical-Thermodynamic Simulation of the MSR-Related Systems during Normal and Accident Conditions
Started in February 2020
Completed in October 2020
Dorde PETROVIC / EPFL-ETHZ
MS study
Transient Analysis of FFTF Loss of Flow Without Scram Test with TRACE/PARCS code system
Started in February 2020
Completed in September 2020
Shibao WANG / Xi’an Jiaotong University of China
Attached PhD student supported by CSC Scholarship
Modeling of Fast Flux Test Facility with TRACE code
Started in November 2019
Completed in October 2020
Liang ZHANG / Nuclear Power Institute of China
Attached PhD student supported by CSC Scholarship
Application of DRAGON code system to Sodium Fast Reactor analysis
Started in October 2019
Completed in September 2020
Valeria RAFFUZZI / EPFL-ETHZ
MS study
Modeling of equilibrium fuel cycle of European Sodium Fast Reactor and Breed&Burn Molten Salt Reactor
Started in June 2019
Completed in November 2019
Victor BLUNEAU / Grenoble INP Phelma
Internship
Modeling of decay heat removal systems of European Sodium Fast Reactor
Started in May 2019
Completed in August 2019
Gabriel TOMIC / EPFL-ETHZ
Semester project
ESFR-SMART core burnup calculation on infinite lattice with Monte-Carlo code
Started in September 2018
Completed in January 2019
Tuomo KOIVISTO / Aalto University, Helsinki
MS study
Assessment of chloride fast MSR with two or more salts layout within the VSE(PSEL) project
Started in July 2018
Completed in February 2019
Riccardo COCCI / Sapienza University of Rome
Internship
Presentation of main concepts and features of the European Sodium Fast Reactor for the general public
Started in July 2018
Completed in September 2018
Vaclav SISL / Czech Technical University in Prague
Internship
Transition to the thorium cycle in MSR
Started in July 2018
Completed in September 2018
Internship
Radiotoxicity analysis for different MSR fuel cycles
Started in June 2018
Completed in August 2018
PhD study
Small modular Molten Salt Fast Reactor design for closed fuel cycle
Started in November 2013
Completed in July 2018
Marco DI FILIPPO / EPFL-ETHZ
MS study
Development of a dedicated burnup tool for Molten Salt Fast Reactors
Started in February 2018
Completed in July 2018
Vaclav SISL / Czech Technical University in Prague
MS study
Transition to the thorium cycle in HTR
Started in January 2018
Completed in June 2018
Simone MAMBELLI / EPFL-ETHZ
MS study
Analytical and experimental study of chugging boiling instability: the CHUG project
http://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1311464
Started in October 2017
Completed in May 2018
Marco DI FILIPPO / EPFL-ETHZ
Semester project
Analysis of major group structures used for nuclear reactor simulations
Started in October 2017
Completed in December 2017
MS study
Development of CAD model for the European Sodium Fast Reactor for the use of TRACE thermal hydraulic code
http://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1309203
Started in June 2017
Completed in September 2017
Fanny VITULLO / EPFL-ETHZ
MS study
Statistical burnup distribution of moving pebbles in HTR-PM reactor
In cooperation with LTH.
Started in February 2017
Completed in September 2017
Emeline BELTJENS / EPFL-ETHZ
MS study
Modelling of the low-void SFR core during ULOF with spatial kinetics
Started in February 2017
Completed in August 2017
Simone MAMBELLI / EPFL-ETHZ
Semester project
Designing of the water test facility to mock up sodium boiling using TRACE
Started in October 2016
Completed in December 2016
Ahmed SHAMA / EPFL-ETHZ
Semester project
Modeling of the SFR wrapper tube mechanical response to a sodium pressure pulse using CAST3M
Started in October 2016
Completed in December 2016
Emeline BELTJENS / EPFL-ETHZ
Semester project
First assessments of new safety measures for the European Sodium Fast Reactor core using Serpent
Started in October 2016
Completed in December 2016
Anne-Laurene PANADERO / EPFL
PhD study
Safety assessment of ASTRID Sodium-cooled Fast Reactor in Unprotected Loss of Flow Accident
Started in October 2014
Quit in December 2016
Eirik Eide PETTERSEN/ Université Paris-Saclay
MS study
Coupled multi-physics simulations of the Molten Salt Fast Reactor using coarse-mesh thermal-hydraulics and spatial neutronics
Started in April 2016
Completed in September 2016
Kajetan DOBRENKO / Grenoble INP (France) / KTH (Sweden)
Attached MS study
Multi-dimensional modeling of the sodium boiling under Unprotected Loss of Flow conditions in the SFR core
Started in March 2016
Completed in August 2016
Samuel VAN HAUWAERT / École Centrale Paris
Internship study
Analysis of selected sodium boiling experiments with the TRACE code
Started in March 2016
Completed in August 2016
Jiadong BAO / EPFL-ETHZ
MS study
Development of the model for the multiphysics analysis of Molten Salt Reactor Experiment using GeN-Foam code
Started in February 2016
Completed in August 2016
Nikoleta VOZAROVA / EPFL-ETHZ
Semester project
Fission product composition in Molten Salt Reactor under various removal parameters
Started in October 2015
Completed in December 2015
Attached MS study
Modeling of Superphenix Sodium-cooled Fast Reactor core under static and transient conditions
Started in February 2015
Completed in December 2015
Jeremie NEBES / EPFL-ETHZ
MS study (attachment to CEA Cadarache)
CFD simulations of sodium two-phase flows
Started in February 2015
Completed in November 2015
Semester project
Computational Multi-Fluid Dynamics for Nuclear Engineering
Started in October 2014
Completed in December 2014
Evzen LOSA / University of Prague
Attached PhD student
U-Pu and Th-U fuel cycle closure
Started in December 2014
Completed in September 2015
Hyemin KIM / EPFL-ETHZ
MS study
Static and transient analysis of Molten Salt Reactor Experiment using SERPENT-2/TRACE/PARCS codes
Started in January 2015
Completed in August 2015
Semester project
TRACE application to MSR transients initiated by primary, secondary, and tertiary pumps
Started in October 2014,
Completed in December 2014
MS study
Empirical Decay Heat Correlations and Fission Products Behavior in MSRs
Started in February 2015
Completed in August 2015
Semester project
Study of the impact of fission products on neutronics and safety of various reactors
Started in October 2014
Completed in December 2014
MS study
Time efficient fluid dynamics analysis of sodium fast reactor wire wrapped rod bundles
Started in February 2015
Completed in August 2015
Semester project
Euler-Euler methods for two-phase flow. Local instant and time-averaged formulation.
Started in October 2014
Completed in December 2014
Attached PhD student
Development of the model for the delayed neutron precursors transfer in Molten Salt Reactor
Started in February 2015
Completed in April 2015
MS study
Heat exchanger analysis for innovative Molten Salt Fast Reactors
Started in February 2014
Completed in September 2014
MS study / ERASMUS
Simulation of sodium flow in a sub-assembly of a sodium fast reactor
Started in February 2014, Completed in August 2014
MS study
Static neutronic, thermal-hydraulic and fuel performance analysis of the ASTRID Sodium-cooled Fast Reactor core
Started in February 2014, Completed in August 2014
My Master thesis presents the core static analysis at the End-of-Cycle (EoC) of the Advanced Sodium Technological Reactor for Industrial Demonstration (ASTRID), which is performed in the framework of FP7 EURATOM ESNII+ project. The goal of this work is to model the ASTRID core at nominal conditions, to learn the main static parameters of the core, and to prepare data for safety analysis. The static analysis is accomplished using the extended FAST code system and it involves neutronics, thermal hydraulics, and fuel thermal mechanics. The static neutronic analysis, performed by means of the SERPENT 2 Monte-Carlo code, provides the core excess reactivity, power distributions, kinetic parameters, reactivity coefficients, and control rod reactivity worth as the main outcomes. In addition, an extensive study is carried out concerning the coolant void worth by analyzing specific sodium voiding scenarii. It can be concluded that the ASTRID peculiar core design features a negative global coolant worth. Within the static thermal-hydraulic study, carried out by employing the TRACE code, the core assemblies division into cooling groups is performed. The respective coolant flow rates and temperatures at the core outlet are determined. Finally, the static thermal-mechanic analysis, which was accomplished by means of the FRED code, gives general insights about the fuel temperature distribution within the fuel pins, gas gap conductance, and fission gas release. As a major outcome of this work, the necessary data to couple neutronics, thermal hydraulics, and thermal mechanics for the further planned transient analyses of the ASTRID core at EoC are provided.
Attached MS student
Comparison of the FITXS and EQL0D fuel cycle simulation tools on Generation IV GFR and MSR reactors
Started in March 2014
Completed in May 2014
Semester work
Molten Salt Fast Reactor blanket characterization
Completed in December 2013
In my project I studied a blanket of a generic two fluid molten salt reactor utilizing fast thorium-uranium cycle. Neutron leakage and Pa-233 neutron absorption were evaluated as a function of the blanket radius. This behavior is important for the optimization of the blanket, which will involve reduction of neutron flux hitting the outer wall and improving the breeding performance. The burnup performance of this generic reactor was also investigated. Namely, the effect of uranium removal from the blanket was analyzed, demonstrating a significant reduction in the production of minor actinides. The uranium vector removed from the core was then investigated for proliferation resistance, using NUREC proliferation resistance metric. The evaluation concluded that while the presence of U-232 increases radiological hazard associated with this uranium, thereby erecting a radiological barrier, it cannot be treated as "self-protecting" based on IAEA and NRC standards, requiring 1 Sv/h at 1 m dose rate. Moreover ideas on how an interested party could reduce this radiological hazard were discussed.
Attached PhD student
Development of innovative methods for the control-oriented modelling of molten salt reactors
Completed in October 2013
Attached PhD student
Development and assessment of innovative simulation tools for circulating-fuel nuclear reactors
Completed in October 2013
MS study
Parametric Lattice Study for Conception of a Molten Salt Reactor in Closed Thorium Fuel Cycle
Completed in June 2013
My Master’s thesis presents a static neutronics study or the core of a thermal (moderated) Molten Salts Reactor. The said study is a continuation of the preliminary work of a semester project, which concluded that two moderation levels were of interest for the design of a Molten Salts Reactor: the "thermal" region, around a 10–15% salt-to-graphite share, and the "fast" region corresponding to a graphite-free core. The present work focuses on the study of heterogeneity and fuel salt composition effects in the lattice, after a literature review and discussion of past and current MSR designs. For this purpose, a simplified equilibrium fuel cycle procedure, EQL0D, was developed on the basis of the PSI-developed EQL3D procedure. The obtained results show that heterogeneity effects can strongly influence the equilibrium fuel cycle composition and criticality.
MS study
Development of SERPENT based equilibrium fuel cycle procedure EQL0D
Completed in June 2013
Semester work
Preliminary Analysis of Neutronic Parameters of European Lead Cooled Training Reactor (ELECTRA)
Completed in December 2012
My semester project was focused on studying the neutronics of the European Lead Cooled Training Reactor (ELECTRA) concept. The SERPENT code was employed to develop the full-core and the infinite pin cell models of the ELECTRA and reactivity coefficients and kinetic parameters were calculated and processed by MATLAB. The results were compared with the results from the KTH (Sweden).
Attached PhD student
U-Pu and Th-U fuel cycle closure
Completed in December 2012
MS study
Comparative evaluation of safety and performance parameters of the Gen-IV fast-spectrum cores with the SERPENT Monte-Carlo code
http://kth.diva-portal.org/smash/record.jsf?pid=diva2:604518
Completed in December 2012
In my MS thesis I developed a methodology and a wrapper code, which uses Serpent MC code for generating group constant database, compatible with U.S. NRC PARCS neutronics simulator. The database contains all necessary beginning-of-life (BOL) group constants and their derivatives necessary for transient analyses of fast spectrum reactors. The applicability of the methodology was tested on the European Sodium-cooled Fast Reactor (ESFR) design with an oxide fuel proposed by CEA (France). The results of steady-state and single-effect calculations of the PARCS/TRACE coupled system were compared with those of the Serpent MC code. The k-effective, power peaking factors and safety parameters (such as Doppler constant, coolant expansion coefficient, fuel axial expansion coefficient, diagrid expansion coefficients and control rod worth) calculated by PARCS/TRACE were compared with the Serpent MC calculation results. The comparison indicates overall reasonable agreement between conceptually different (deterministic and stochastic) codes. The new development makes it in principle possible to use Serpent for cross section generation for PARCS to perform transient analyses of fast reactors. The advantages and limitations of this methodology are discussed. The appendix contains Serpent input file of an SFR core, the Matlab code of S2P wrapper and the PARCS input file.
MS study
Development of a new method for dynamic reactivity decomposition
Completed in September 2012
PhD study
Analysis of Advanced Sodium-cooled Fast Reactor Core Designs with Improved Safety Characteristics
Completed in September 2012
http://dx.doi.org/10.5075/epfl-thesis-5480
MS study
Approaching the equilibrium closed fuel cycle in advanced fast reactors
Completed in July 2012
PhD study
Single- and Two-Phase Flow Modelling for Coupled Neutronics/Thermal-Hydraulics Transient Analysis of Advanced Sodium-Cooled Fast Reactors
Completed in October 2011
http://dx.doi.org/10.5075/epfl-thesis-5172
Attached PhD student
Thorium-uranium equilibrium fuel cycle analysis for the Generation-IV Lead-cooled Fast Reactor with the EQL3D procedure
Completed in September 2011
MS student
Development of a full-core ERANOS Model and neutronic analysis of the BN-600 Fast Reactor Core Mock-up at the BFS-2 zero-power facility
Co-supervision: Dr. G. Girardin (EPFL)
Completed in August 2011
Summer Internship
Analysis of the dynamic behaviour of the SUPERPHENIX core using the FAST code system
Completed in August 2011
Semester work
Neutronic Analysis of the CROCUS Reactor at EPFL with the deterministic System ERANOS 2.2
Co-supervision: Dr. G. Girardin (EPFL)
Completed in June 2011
Fulbright fellow study
Development of Comprehensive Model for Generation-IV Lead-cooled Fast Reactor
Completed in June 2011
MS study
Comparative decomposition analysis of reactivity effects for the main Gen-IV fast reactors
Completed in April 2011
MS study
Coupled Neutronic/Thermal-hydraulic Simulation of Selected PHENIX End-of-life Tests
Completed in September 2010
PhD study
Improvement of the Inherent and Passive Safety Characteristics of Generation IV Gas-cooled Fast Reactor
Completed in September 2010
http://dx.doi.org/10.5075/epfl-thesis-4792
Summer internship
Comparative Analysis of Oxide and Carbide Fuelled Sodium-cooled Fast Reactor with ERANOS
Completed in June 2010
Semester work
Uncertainty propagation in dynamic TRACE calculations for Gen-IV SFR
Completed in June 2010
MS study
Simulation of CABRI loss-of-flow experiments with the TRACE/FRED codes
Completed in March 2010
MS study
Neutronic Analysis of the European Gas-Cooled Fast Reactor Demonstrator ALLEGRO and its Validation via Monte Carlo TRIPOLI Calculations
Co-supervision: Dr. G. Girardin (EPFL)
Completed in March 2010
3-week internship
Development of MCNP Model for Sodium-cooled Fast Reactor
Completed in October 2009
Summer internship
Development of the TRACE Model for Transient Analysis of the XADS System
Completed in August 2009
Semester work
A TRACE Model of the SALSA Air Loop
Completed in May 2009
PhD study
Development of the Control Assembly Pattern and Dynamic Analysis of the Generation IV Large Gas-cooled Fast Reactor (GFR)
Completed in May 2009
http://dx.doi.org/10.5075/epfl-thesis-4437
PhD study
Development and Application of an Advanced Fuel Model for the Safety Analysis of the Generation IV Gas-cooled Fast Reactor
Completed in August 2008
http://dx.doi.org/10.5075/epfl-thesis-4180