Gas Cooled Ceramic Power Breeder Reactor: Reactor Design and Feasibility Problem

Technical Report · Sun Aug 01 00:00:00 EDT 1954

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/4382001· OSTI ID:4382001

Smith, Jr., J. F. ^[1]; Ash, E. B. ^[1]; Deddens, J. C. ^[1]; Fairbanks, F. B. ^[1]; Gilfillan, D. R. ^[1]; LeTourneau, B. W. ^[1]; Mitchell, J. L. ^[1]; Neill, F. H. ^[1]

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1. Oak Ridge School of Reactor Technology, Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

A design study is made of a central station nuclear power plant utilizing a compact, direct closed cycle gas turbine system with helium as the working fluid. The system is designed for a net electrical power output of 60 Megawatts. A terminal efficiency of 40% can be achieved with the closed gas cycle operating at 1000 psi pressure and 1400°F turbine inlet temperature, requiring a heat out-put of 150 Megawatts from the reactor. The reactor is designed within a pressure shell of 11 feet $$^{1}/_{2}$$ inch maximum outside diameter. The core contains uranium and thorium silicides in silicon carbide - silicon plate type fuel elements mounted in a graphite moderator. The active core is a right circular cylinder 6.5 feet in diameter by 6.1 feet in length. A breeding blanket, 1.5 feet thick, made up of Th02 blocks surrounds the core. An initial loading of 40 kilograms of uranium-233 is planned, for an average thermal neutron flux of 1.65 x 10¹⁴ n/cm² sec at 25% burnup. The conversion ratio is 1.087 initially and 0.927 end of the 73 day full power operating cycle. Means are provided to minimize contamination of the system due to fission product leakage. The major problem to be solved appears to be the chemical processing of the fuel elements. The power cost from the system is estimated to be 7.6 mills/KWH which compares favorably with other immediately practicable nuclear power systems of this size.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge School of Reactor Technology, Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP); US Atomic Energy Commission (AEC)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-26
• NSA Number: NSA-11-004080
• OSTI ID: 4382001
• Report Number(s): CF-54-8-235
• Resource Relation: Other Information: Decl. Jan. 2, 1957. Orig. Receipt Date: 31-DEC-57
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
42 ENGINEERING
BLANKETS
BREEDING
BURNUP
CANNING
CARBIDES
CERAMICS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CONFIGURATION
CONTAMINATION
CONVERSION
COOLANT LOOPS
CRITICALITY
CYLINDERS
ECONOMICS
EFFICIENCY
ELECTRICITY
FISSION PRODUCTS
FUEL ELEMENTS
GAS COOLANT
GENERATORS
GRAPHITE MODERATOR
HEATING
HELIUM
HIGH TEMPERATURE
LEAKS
MASS
MECHANICAL STRUCTURES
NEUTRON FLUX
PLANNING
PLATES
POWER
POWER PLANTS
PRESSURE
PRESSURE VESSELS
REACTORS
REPROCESSING
SILICIDES
SILICON
STARTUP
THERMAL NEUTRONS
THORIUM ALLOYS
THORIUM COMPOUNDS
THORIUM OXIDES
TURBINES
URANIUM 233
URANIUM ALLOYS
VOLUME
ZONES
Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP)
Criticality
Carbides
Silicone
Silicone Carbide
Ceramics
Configuraiton
Nuclear Power
reactor
Gas Turbine System
Helium
Uranium
Thorium
Silicides