Use of beryllium oxide to shape power and reduce void reactivity in gas cooled fast reactors
Conference
·
OSTI ID:22039546
- Massachusetts Inst. of Technology, MIT 24-215, 77 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139 (United States)
Use of Beryllium Oxide (BeO) as a diluent is explored as a means for both power shaping and void reactivity reduction in fast reactors. A supercritical carbon dioxide (S-CO{sub 2}) cooled fast reactor fueled with Light Water Reactor Transuranics and directly coupled with a Brayton cycle power conversion system is used to investigate the effect of BeO as a diluent. Results show that relatively flat power profiles (peak {<=} 1.22) can be maintained throughout core life using a combination of enrichment and diluent zoning, due to the slight moderating effect of the BeO. Combining BeO diluent with the innovative strategy of using a thick volume of S-CO{sub 2} coolant as the radial reflector yields negative void reactivities throughout core life. The ability to maintain negative coolant void reactivity comes from a combination of the effects of spectral softening due to the BeO diluent and the enhanced leakage upon voiding of the S-CO{sub 2} radial reflector. (authors)
- Research Organization:
- American Nuclear Society, 555 North Kensington Avenue, La Grange Park, IL 60526 (United States)
- OSTI ID:
- 22039546
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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