The harmony between nuclear reactions and nuclear reactor structures and systems
- LAVM LLC, Los Alamos, NM (United States)
Advanced nuclear energy is one extremely viable approach for achieving the required goals. With its extraordinarily high energy density (both, per unit mass and per unit volume), it produces over seven orders of magnitude less waste than fossil fuels per unit of energy generated. Applying nano-technologies to nuclear reactors could potentially produce the extraordinary performance required. The actual nuclear reactors lack of performances, the complexity and hazard of the fuel cycle are in part due to the lack of understanding of the nature's laws related to energy distribution applied to fission products, and in part to the current technologic capabilities that make the economical optimum. In order to produce the desired increase of performances a novel multi-scale multi-physics and engineering approach have been developed, starting from the nuclear reactions involved, analyzing in detail the key features and requirements of the 'key players' in the process (neutrons, compound nucleus, fission products, transmutation products, decay radiation), the consequences of their interaction with matter. That complex interaction generates new reactions and new key-players (knock-on electrons, photons, phonons) that further interact with the matter represented by the nuclear fuel, cladding, cooling agents, structural materials and control systems. The understanding of this complexity of problems from fm-ps scale up to macro-system and mitigating all the requirements drives to that desired harmony that provides a safe energy delivery. (authors)
- Research Organization:
- American Nuclear Society, 555 North Kensington Avenue, La Grange Park, IL 60526 (United States)
- OSTI ID:
- 22107783
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: ICAPP '12: 2012 International Congress on Advances in Nuclear Power Plants, Chicago, IL (United States), 24-28 Jun 2012; Other Information: Country of input: France; 23 refs.; Related Information: In: Proceedings of the 2012 International Congress on Advances in Nuclear Power Plants - ICAPP '12| 2799 p.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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