Nuclear Engineering and Technology

Korean Nuclear Society (한국원자력학회)
권호 표지
DOI QR코드

DOI QR Code

An ultra-long-life small safe fast reactor core concept having heterogeneous driver-blanket fuel assemblies

  • Choi, Kyu Jung (Department of Nuclear Engineering, Hanyang University) ;
  • Jo, Yeonguk (Department of Nuclear Engineering, Kyung Hee University) ;
  • Hong, Ser Gi (Department of Nuclear Engineering, Hanyang University)
  • Received : 2020.08.17
  • Accepted : 2021.05.09
  • Published : 2021.11.25
Download PDF
⟨ Previous Next ⟩

Abstract

New 80-MW (electric) ultra-long-life sodium cooled fast reactor core having inherent safety characteristics is designed with heterogeneous fuel assemblies comprised of driver and blanket fuel rods. Several options using upper sodium plenum and SSFZ (Special Sodium Flowing Zone) for reducing sodium void reactivity are neutronically analyzed in this core concept in order to improve the inherent safety of the core. The SSFZ allowing the coolant flow from the peripheral fuel assemblies increases the neutron leakage under coolant expansion or voiding. The Monte Carlo calculations were used to design the cores and analyze their physics characteristics with heterogeneous models. The results of the design and analyses show that the final core design option has a small burnup reactivity swing of 618 pcm over ~54 EFPYs cycle length and a very small sodium void worth of ~35pcm at EOC (End of Cycle), which leads to the satisfaction of all the conditions for inherent safety with large margin based on the quasi-static reactivity balance analysis under ATWS (Anticipated Transient Without Scram).

Keywords

Acknowledgement

This work was supported by the Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology (Grant No. NRF-2015R1D1A1A02061941).

References

  1. A.J. Kuperman, Plutonium for Energy ? - Explaining the Global Decline of MOX, The University of Texas at Austin, October 2018.
  2. K. Tucek, J. Carlsson, H. Wider, Comparison of sodium and lead-cooled fast reactors regarding reactor physics aspects, severe safety and economical issues, Nucl. Eng. Des. 236 (2006) 1589-1598. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nucengdes.2006.04.019
  3. W.S. Yang, Fast reactor physics and computational methods, Nucl. Eng. Technol. 44 (2012) 177-198. https://doi.org/10.5516/NET.01.2012.504
  4. T.K. Kim, T.A. Taiwo, Fuel Cycle Analysis of Once-Through Nuclear Systems : Fuel Cycle Research & Development, ANL-FCRD-308, Lemont, Illinois, US, 2010.
  5. W. You, S.G. Hong, A core physics study of advanced sodium-cooled TRU burners with thorium- and uranium-based metallic fuels, Nucl. Technol. 194 (2016) 217-232. https://doi.org/10.13182/NT15-85
  6. OECD/NEA, Minor Actinide Burning in Thermal Reactors, A Report by the Working Party on Scientific Issues of Reactor Systems, 2013.
  7. T.A. Taiwo, T.K. Kim, J.A. Stillman, R.N. Hill, M. Salvatores, P.J. Finck, Nucl. Technol. 155 (2006) 34-54. https://doi.org/10.13182/nt06-a3744
  8. H. Sekimoto, K. Ryu, Y. Yoshimura, CANDLE: the new burnup strategy, Nucl. Sci. Eng. 130 (2001) 306-317.
  9. H. Sekimoto, A. Nagata, Performance optimization of the CANDLE reactor for nuclear energy sustainability, Energy Convers. Manag. 51 (2010) 1788-1791. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enconman.2009.12.045
  10. C. Ahlfeld, et al., Conceptual design of a 500MWe travelling wave demonstration reactor plant, in: Proceedings of ICAPP 2011, 2011. Nice, France, May 2-5.
  11. J. Gilleland, J. Petrosski, K. Weaver, The traveling wave reactor: design and development, Engineering 2 (2016) 88-96. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eng.2016.01.024
  12. E. Greenspan, A phased development of breed-and-burn reactors for enhanced nuclear energy sustainability, Sustainability 4 (2012) 2745-2764. https://doi.org/10.3390/su4102745
  13. S.G. Hong, H.L. Hyun, W. You, Core design options of an ultra-long-cycle sodium cooled reactor with effective use of PWR spent fuel for sustainable energy supply, Int. J. Energy Res. 41 (2017) 854-866. https://doi.org/10.1002/er.3677
  14. S.G. Hong, J.H. Kim, W. You, A neutronic design study of lead-bismuth-cooled small and safe ultra-long-life cores, Ann. Nucl. Energy 85 (2015) 58-67. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anucene.2015.04.032
  15. D. Hartanto, C. Kim, Y. Kim, An optimization study on the excess reactivity in a linear breed-and-burn fast reactor (B&BR), Ann. Nucl. Energy 94 (2016) 62-71. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anucene.2016.02.017
  16. M.J. Driscoll, B. Atefi, D.D. Lanning, An Evaluation of the Breed/burn Fast Reactor Concept, MIT report MITNE-229. MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA, 1979.
  17. P. Hejzlar, R. Ptroski, et al., LLC Traveling wave reactor development overview, Nucl. Eng. Technol. 45 (2013) 731-744. https://doi.org/10.5516/NET.02.2013.520
  18. K.J. Choi, Y. Jo, S.G. Hong, A neutronic design study of small ultra-long-life SFR core using serpent heterogeneous Monte Carlo calculation, San Francisco, CA, in: Proceedings of the Pacific Basin Nuclear Conference (PBNC) 2018, 2018. September 30 - October 4.
  19. G. Jung, W. You, S.G. Hong, A preliminary design study of ultra-long-life SFR cores having heterogeneous fuel assemblies, Gyeongju, Korea, in: Proceedings of the KNS 2016 Autumn Meeting, 2016. Oct 26-28.
  20. G. Jung, Y. Jo, S.G. Hong, Alternative design options for small ultra-long-life sodium cooled fast reactor core using heterogeneous assemblies, in: Proceedings of the PHYSOR 2018, Cancun, Mexico, 2018. April 22-26.
  21. D.B. Pelowitz, MCNP6TM User's Manual Version 1.0. LA-CP-13-00634, 2013. Rev.0.
  22. J. Leppanen, M. Pusa, T. Viitanen, V. Valtavirta, T. Kaltiaisenaho, The serpent Monte Carlo code : status, development and applications in 2013, Ann. Nucl. Energy 82 (2015) 142-150. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anucene.2014.08.024
  23. D.C. Wade, R.N. Hill, The design nationale of the IFR, Prog. Nucl. Engergy 31 (1997) 13-42. https://doi.org/10.1016/0149-1970(96)00002-9
  24. K. Sun, et al., A neutronics study for improving the safety and performance parameters of a 3600 MWth sodium-cooled fast reactor, Ann. Nucl. Energy 53 (2013) 464-475. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anucene.2012.10.004
  25. S.G. Hong, E. Greenspan, Y.I. Kim, The encapsulated nuclear heat source (ENHS) reactor core design, Nucl. Technol. 149 (2005) 22-46. https://doi.org/10.13182/nt05-a3577
  26. T. Tak, J. Choe, Y. Jeong, D. Lee, T.K. Kim, S.G. Hong, Feasibility study on ultra-long cycle operation and material performance for compact liquid metal-cooled fast reactors : a review work, Int. J. Energy Res. 39 (2015) 1859-1878. https://doi.org/10.1002/er.3384
  27. N.E. Stauff, T.K. Kim, D. Yun, T.A. Taiwo, H.S. Khalil, Application of an annular metallic fuel with lower gas plenum for sodium-cooled fast reactor, Trans. Am. Nucl. Soc. 108 (2013) 747-749.
  28. M.S. Chenaud, N. Devictor, et al., Status of the ASTRID core at the end of the pre-conceptual design phase 1, Nucl. Eng. Technol. 45 (2013) 721-730. https://doi.org/10.5516/NET.02.2013.519
  29. P. Sciora, et al., Low void effect core design applied on 2400 MWth SFR reactor, Nice, France, in: Proceedings of ICAPP 2011, 2011. May 2-5.