Ultimate Safe (U.S.) Reactor

Conference · Mon Dec 09 00:00:00 EST 1985

OSTI ID:6313994

Gat, Uri ^[1]; Daugherty, Sylvia R. ^[1]

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1. Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

The Ultimate Safe (US) Reactor is a reactor that eliminates the traditional safety concerns of nuclear fission reactors. The US reactor has an insignificant source term and no reasonable criticality accident. Furthermore, the negligible residual after-heat in the reactor renders its shutdown capability comparable or superior to conventional power sources. Fission products are continuously removed at the rate they are produced. The reactor is operated with no excess criticality; hence no criticality accident is reasonably possible. The reactor is controlled safely by its negative temperature coefficient. The reactor maintains criticality by an internal breeding ratio that is trimmed to be exactly one. The US reactor requires a fluid fuel and on-line, continuous fuel processing. Molten salt fuel was selected for its low vapor pressure at high temperature; adequate solubility of uranium and thorium as fluorides; good compatibility with structural materials; absence of irradiation damage; high negative temperature coefficient and amply developed technology and experience.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP)
• DOE Contract Number: AC05-84OR21400
• OSTI ID: 6313994
• Report Number(s): CONF-851201-8; ON: DE86004798
• Resource Relation: Conference: 7. Miami International Conference on Alternative Energy Sources, Miami Beach, FL (United States), 9-11 Dec 1985
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
MOLTEN SALT FUELED REACTORS
REACTOR SAFETY
FISSION PRODUCTS
REMOVAL
FLUID FUELED REACTORS
ISOTOPES
MATERIALS
MOLTEN SALT REACTORS
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
REACTORS
SAFETY
Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP)
U.S. Reactor Principle
Fission Products
Molten Salt Reactor (MSRs)
Primary Heat Exchanger
Fuel Salt
Future Power Generating Stations
ORIGEN Code Calculation
Hastelloy N
220900* - Nuclear Reactor Technology- Reactor Safety
210300 - Power Reactors
Nonbreeding
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