Full implicit integrate solution to the coupled neutronics/thermal-hydraulics problems

The traditional solution of the coupled neutronics/thermal-hydraulics problems has typically been performed by solving the individual field separately and then transferring information between each other. In this paper, full implicit integrate solution to the coupled neutronics/thermal-hydraulic problem is investigated. There are two advantages compared with the traditional method, which are high temporal accuracy and stability. The five equations of single-phase flow, the solid heat conduction and the neutronics are employed as a simplified model of a nuclear reactor core. All these field equations are solved together in a tightly coupled, nonlinear fashion. Firstly, Newton-based method is employed to solve nonlinear systems due to its local second-order convergence rate. And then the Krylov iterative method is used to solve the linear systems which are from the Newton linearization. The two procedures above are the so-called Newton-Krylov method. Furthermore, in order to improve the performance of the Krylov method, physics-based preconditioner is employed, which is constructed by the physical insight. Finally, several Newton-Krylov solution approaches are carried out to compare the performance of the coupled neutronics / thermal-hydraulic equations.