STEAM COOLED POWER REACTOR EVALUATION MIXED SPECTRUM SUPERHEATER

Technical Report · Tue Nov 01 04:00:00 EST 1960

OSTI ID:4835921

Wolfe, B

The Mixed Spectrum Superheater (MSS) is contained in a pressure vessel in which both boiling of water and superheating of the resulting steam takes place. The reactor is pressurized to 1550 psia and superheated steam is supplied to the turbine at 1450 psia and 950 deg F. Feed water is returned to the reactor vessel at 495 deg F. A reactor thermal power of 8l5 Mw is required to produce 313 Mw of gross electrical power at an efficiency of 40.0%. The analysis indicated that: small amounts of epithermal poisons in the fuel will result in a condition such that, for full power operation, either flooding or depressurization of the system can cause a loss of reactivity; the Doppler coefficient in the superheating region of the core is approximates -l0/sup 5-/ DELTA k/k% C; the power from the superheating region can be controlled independent of the boiling region; andd the fuel element and mechanical designs appear technically feasible for the operating conditions. Design areas requiring further analysis include: reactor safety; physics; and overall design optimization from economic and technical standpoints. The advantages and disadvantages of the MSS concept are pointed out. A summary of the power plant characteristics is given. (B.O.G.)

• Research Organization: General Electric Co. Atomic Power Equipment Dept., San Jose, Calif.
• NSA Number: NSA-16-001243
• OSTI ID: 4835921
• Report Number(s): GEAP-3590(Rev.1)
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

BOILING
CONFIGURATION
CONTROL
CONTROL ELEMENTS
COOLANT LOOPS
EFFICIENCY
ELECTRICITY
EPITHERMAL NEUTRONS
FAILURES
FUEL ELEMENTS
GAS COOLANT
HEAT TRANSFER
HIGH TEMPERATURE
LOSSES
MECHANICAL STRUCTURES
MSS
NEUTRON FLUX
PLANNING
POISONING
POWER PLANTS
PRESSURE
PRESSURE VESSELS
PRODUCTION
RADIATION PROTECTION
REACTIVITY
REACTOR CORE
REACTOR SAFETY
REACTOR TECHNOLOGY
SHUTDOWN
SPECTRAL SHIFT
STABILITY
STEAM
SUPERHEATING
TRANSIENTS
TURBINES
WATER COOLANT
ZONES