Performance of Liquid Metals in Natural Circulation Cooled Nuclear Reactors
- Interfacultair Reactor Instituut, Technische Universiteit Delft, Mekelweg 15, Delft (Netherlands)
The inherent safety capability of natural circulation makes reactor design more reliable. Additionally, the construction and operation of a nuclear power plant with natural circulation in the primary cooling circuit is an interesting alternative for nuclear plant designers, due to their lower operational and investment costs obtained by simplifying systems and controls. This paper deals with the feasibility of application of natural circulation in the primary cooling circuit of a liquid metal fast reactor. The methodology employed is a non-dimensional analysis, which describes the relationship between the physical properties and system variables. The performance criterion is bounded by a safety argument, referring to the maximum cladding temperature allowed during operation. The study considers several coolants, which can play a part in reactor cooling systems, such as lead, lead-bismuth and sodium. Bismuth and gallium are included in this analysis, in order to extend the range of properties for reference purposes. The results present a characterization of natural circulation flow in a reactor and compare the cooling capabilities from different liquid metals coolants. (authors)
- Research Organization:
- American Nuclear Society, 555 North Kensington Avenue, La Grange Park, IL 60526 (United States)
- OSTI ID:
- 21160668
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: ICAPP'04: 2004 international congress on advances in nuclear power plants, Pittsburgh, PA (United States), 13-17 Jun 2004; Other Information: Country of input: France; 8 refs; Related Information: In: Proceedings of the 2004 international congress on advances in nuclear power plants - ICAPP'04, 2338 pages.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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