Martina Di Gennaro.

Martina Di Gennaro

PhD thesis title: Multi-scale and multi-physics modelling of fuel pin behaviour in the MYRRHA reactor

Academic Tutor: Lelio Luzzi

Academic Supervisor: Lelio Luzzi and Davide Pizzocri

PhD cycle: 37° (see all student profiles of the same cycle > LINK)

BSc: Biomedical Engineering, Politecnico di Milano

MSc: Nuclear Engineering, Politecnico di Milano

Thesis abstract

My PhD activity is funded by the PATRICIA (Partitioning And Transmuter Research Initiative in a Collaborative Innovation Action) Euratom Project. In order to include nuclear energy in the sustainable energy mix, there is the need to manage radioactive waste safely, increase resistance to proliferation and improve the use of fuel resources. To this end, the PATRICIA project focuses on advanced partitioning research to efficiently separate Americium from spent fuel, on experimental and fuel performance code development work studying the behaviour of Am bearing fuel under irradiation and on the safety related research supporting the licensing process of MYRRHA in its role in the development trajectory for a dedicated accelerator driven transmuter.
Read mode about the project at: https://patricia-h2020.eu and
https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/945077/it

Personal interest in my research theme

My research activity is devoted to advancing the predictive capabilities of the state-of-the-art fuel performance code TRANSURANUS, extending its applicability to the design optimization and safety assessment of the MYRRHA reactor. This will be done by developing and implementing more reliable physics-based models for fission gas diffusion in mixed-oxide fuels (MOX) relying on reduced order techniques and realizing a multi-physics simulation environment complementing the TRANSURANUS thermo-mechanical analysis with thermal-hydraulic boundary conditions. Emphasis on the safety-related behaviour of Am-bearing fuels under normal operation and accidental scenario.