Exploring thermal flow dynamics in pressurized water reactors using hybrid graphene nanoplatelet coolants

This study investigates the impact of hybrid nanoparticles on the temperature of nuclear reactor coolant, with a focus on graphene nanoplatelet (GNP)-based hybrid nanoparticles. Sixteen different hybrid nanofluids were analyzed, and their performance was compared with a standard water-based coolant. The criticality values were obtained through MCNP modeling, revealing that higher nanoparticle ratios led to increased criticality, with the highest value of 1.3239 observed in GNP-Fe3O4 + Al2O3 nanofluids (0.05 wt%) and the lowest value of 1.2935 in GNP–Fe3O4 + SiO2 nanofluids (0.001 wt%). Temperature variations showed that increasing nanoparticle concentrations resulted in slightly higher temperatures, with a maximum of 611.97 K for 0.05 vol.% GNP nanoparticles. Additionally, the departure from nucleate boiling ratio values were consistently above the safety threshold of 2.08, with the lowest value of 3.657 for GNP–Fe3O4 + SiO2 nanofluids (0.05 vol.%). These findings suggest that hybrid nanofluids, particularly those with higher nanoparticle ratios, can enhance the thermal performance and safety margins of nuclear reactor coolants, offering a promising avenue for future research and application. © 2024 The Author(s). Energy Science & Engineering published by Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.