Trends vs. reactor size of passive reactivity shutdown and control performance
The focus of the US advanced reactor program since the cancellation of CRBR has been on inherent safety and cost reduction. The notion is to so design the reactor that in the event of an off normal condition, it brings itself to a safe shutdown condition and removes decay heat by reliance on ''inherent processes'' i.e., without reliance on devices requiring switching and outside sources of power. Such a reactor design would offer the potential to eliminate costly ''Engineered Safety Features,'' to lower capital costs, and to assuage public unease concerning reactor safety. For LMR concepts, the goal of passive reactivity shutdown has been approached in the US by designing the reactors for favorable relationships among the power, power/flow, and inlet temperature coefficients of reactivity, for high internal conversion ratio (yielding small burnup control swing), and for a primary pump coastdown time appropriately matched to the delayed neutron hold back of power decay upon negative reactivity input. The use of sodium bonded metallic fuel pins has facilitated the achievement of the passive shutdown design goals as a consequence of their high thermal conductivity and high effective heavy metal density. Alternately, core designs based on derated oxide pins may be able to achieve the passive shutdown features at the cost of larger core volume and increased initial fissile inventory. 8 refs., 12 figs., 1 tab.
- Research Organization:
- Argonne National Lab., IL (USA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-31109-ENG-38
- OSTI ID:
- 6493344
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-880911-29; ON: DE89005846
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: International reactor physics conference, Jackson Hole, WY, USA, 18 Sep 1988; Other Information: Portions of this document are illegible in microfiche products
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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