Work

GIFT-1.0: Advanced light water reactor fuel performance code

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: In response to emerging fuel technologies, such as Accident Tolerant Fuels (ATF), Small Modular Reactor (SMR) fuels, and extended spent fuel storage in the nuclear power industry, GIFT-1.0 was developed to enable full life-cycle simulations of Light Water Reactor (LWR) nuclear fuel, from steady-state operation to extended spent fuel storage. GIFT-1.0 is equipped with state-of-the-art models tailored to meet these new requirements. This paper introduces GIFT-1.0, presenting its structure, models, key features, validation, and performance. The code employs a high-fidelity 2-D axisymmetric (r, z) model for cladding mechanical analyses, allowing mechanistic modeling of multi-layered claddings, such as Cr-coated cladding and SiC cladding. GIFT-1.0 achieves highly accurate steady-state fuel behavior at affordable computational costs, making it suitable for full-core scale simulations.

Source: Nuclear Engineering and Technology

DOI: 10.1016/j.net.2025.103567

Authors: Kyuseok Shim, Hyuntaek Rho, Chansoo Lee, Changhyun Jo, Youho Lee

Institution: Seoul National University

Language: English

Topic: Nuclear Materials and Properties

Subfield: Materials Chemistry

Field: Materials Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Affordable and clean energy

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $200