PARTIAL ECONOMIC STUDY OF STEAM COOLED HEAVY WATER MODERATED REACTORS

Technical Report · Fri Apr 01 04:00:00 EST 1960

OSTI ID:4154998

Steam-cooled reactors are compared with CAHDU for costs of Calandria tubes, pressure tubes. heavy water moderator, heavy water reflector, fuel supply, heat exchanger, and turbine generator. A direct-cycle lightsteam-cooled heavy- water-moderated pressure-tube reactor formed the basic reactor design for the study. Two methods of steam circulation through the reactor were examined. In both cases the steam was generated outside the reactor and superheated in the reactor core. One method consisted of a series of reactor and steam generator passes. The second method consisted of the Loeffler cycle and its modifications. The fuel was assumed to be natural cylindrical UO/sub 2/ pellets sheathed in a hypothetical material with the nuclear properties of Zircaloy, but able to function at temperatures to 900 deg F. For the conditions assumed, the longer the rod, the higher the outlet temperature and therefore the higher the efficiency. The turbine cycle efficiency was calculated on the assumption that suitable steam generators are available. As the neutron losses to the pressure tubes were significant, an economic analysis of insulated pressure tubes is included. A description of the physics program for steam-cooled reactors is included. Results indicated that power from the steam-cooled reactor would cost 1.4 mills/ kwh compared with 1.25 mills/kwh for CANDU. (M.C.G.)

• Research Organization: Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd., Chalk River Project, Chalk River, Ont.
• NSA Number: NSA-14-023737
• OSTI ID: 4154998
• Report Number(s): CRNE-925; AECL-1018
• Country of Publication: Canada
• Language: English

Related Subjects

ECONOMICS
EFFICIENCY
FLUID FLOW
FUEL CANS
GAS COOLANT
GENERATORS
HEAT EXCHANGERS
HEAVY WATER MODERATOR
HIGH TEMPERATURE
LOSSES
NATURAL URANIUM FUEL
NEUTRONS
PELLETS
POWER PLANTS
PRESSURE
REACTIVITY
REACTOR CORE
REACTOR TECHNOLOGY
REACTORS
REFLECTORS
STEAM
SUPERHEATING
THERMODYNAMICS
TUBES
TURBINES
URANIUM DIOXIDE
WATER COOLANT
ZIRCALOY