LIQUID METAL FUEL REACTOR EXPERIMENT. Reference Design Report LMFRE-I

Technical Report · Sun Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 1958

OSTI ID:4243573

The conceptual design is presented of an experimental liquid metal fuel reactor, which constitutes an important early step in a long-range development program leading to the first large-scale liquid metal fuel reactor power plant. Experimental reactors are necessary to provide answers to questions that cannot be supplied by out-ofpile experiments and in-pile radiation loops; e.g., the performance of materials in an integrated heat producing system with realistic radiation fields, and the kinetics of the reactor and associated heat rejection system. Since more than one experimental reactor is contemplated in the over-all development program, the first liquid metal fuel reactor experiment (LMFRE-I) need answer oniy basic questions-prototypic questions can be deferred and directed to a future reactor. A minimum reactor size is set by criticality requirements; the proper size of the system components is established by considerations of fluid dynamics, desirable fission density, availability of proposed components, and a reasonable degree of extrapolation of future larger reactors. The proposed reactor uses a circulating fuel of uranium (plus additives) dissolved in liquid bismuth, has an unclad graphite moderator, and generates 5 Mw of heat at the (nominal) design temperature conditions of 750 deg F inlet and 885 deg F outlet. The heat is transferred from the primary system to liquid bismuth used as a secondary heat-transport fiuid, then is rejected to air. Systems external to the reactor are designed to allow component maintenance and/ or replacement as necessary. To the extent possible, the design wili permit the future substitution of a slurry fuel for the solution fuel. The reactor, primary system, heat rejection system, and auxiliary systems will be housed in a building erected on an existing AEC site. The building will contain a minimum of supporting facilities, sueh as remote maintenance equipment and storage pool, control room, fuel addition and removal equipment, adequate analytical facilities to permit safe reactor operation, and office accommodations for operating personnel. Supporting faciIities external to the reactor building, Such as machine shop, water supply, fire protection service, guard service, cafeteria, and general laboratory facilities are assumed already available at the selected reactor site. (auth)

• Research Organization: Babcock and Wilcox Co. Atomic Energy Div., Lynchburg, Va.
• DOE Contract Number: AT(30-1)-1940
• NSA Number: NSA-13-017553
• OSTI ID: 4243573
• Report Number(s): BAW-1052
• Resource Relation: Other Information: Orig. Receipt Date: 31-DEC-59
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

REACTORS
AIR
BISMUTH
BUILDINGS
CRITICALITY
DENSITY
ENVIRONMENT
FISSION
FLUID FLOW
FLUIDS
FUEL SLURRIES
GRAPHITE MODERATOR
HEAT TRANSFER
HYDRODYNAMICS
LIQUID METAL FUEL
LIQUID METALS
MACHINE PARTS
MAINTENANCE
MEASURED VALUES
OPERATION
PERSONNEL
PLANNING
POWER
POWER PLANTS
REACTOR FUELING
REACTOR SAFETY
SOLUTIONS
STORAGE
URANIUM
WATER