Results and implications of the Experimental Breeder Reactor II inherent safety demonstration tests

Journal Article · Thu Dec 01 00:00:00 EST 1988 · Nucl. Sci. Eng.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.13182/NSE100-549· OSTI ID:6218261

Planchon, H P; Golden, G H; Sackett, J I; Mohr, D; Chang, L K; Feldman, E E; Betten, P R

Two milestone tests were conducted in the Experimental Breeder Reactor II (EBR-II), demonstrating some of the inherent safety features of a liquid-metal reactor. The first test was a loss of flow without scram and the second was a loss of heat sink without scram. Both tests were initiated from 100% power, and in both tests the reactor was shut down passively - by natural processes, principally thermal expansion - without automatic scram, operator intervention, or the help of special incore devices. The temperature transients during the tests were mild, as predicted, and there was no damage to the core or reactor plant structures. The test plus analysis demonstrated the feasibility of inherent passive shutdown for under cooling accidents and identified the more important features necessary for inherent shutdown and passive cooling. The results provide a technical basis for future experiments in EBR-II to investigate inherent safety for transient overpower accidents and to provide additional data for validation of computer codes used for design and safety analysis of inherently safe reactor plants.

• Research Organization: Argonne National Lab., Argonne, IL (US)
• OSTI ID: 6218261
• Journal Information: Nucl. Sci. Eng.; (United States), Vol. 100:4
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS
21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
EBR-2 REACTOR
PERFORMANCE TESTING
REACTOR SAFETY EXPERIMENTS
COMPUTER CODES
DESIGN
REACTOR ACCIDENTS
REACTOR CORES
REACTOR SHUTDOWN
TEST FACILITIES
ACCIDENTS
BREEDER REACTORS
EPITHERMAL REACTORS
EXPERIMENTAL REACTORS
FAST REACTORS
FBR TYPE REACTORS
LIQUID METAL COOLED REACTORS
LMFBR TYPE REACTORS
POWER REACTORS
REACTOR COMPONENTS
REACTORS
RESEARCH AND TEST REACTORS
SHUTDOWNS
SODIUM COOLED REACTORS
TESTING
220900* - Nuclear Reactor Technology- Reactor Safety
220400 - Nuclear Reactor Technology- Control Systems
220600 - Nuclear Reactor Technology- Research
Test & Experimental Reactors