Performance of metal and oxide fuels during accidents in a large liquid metal cooled reactor

Conference · Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1990

OSTI ID:6888567

Cahalan, J; Wigeland, R ^[1]; Friedel, G ^[2]; Kussmaul, G; Royl, P ^[3]; Moreau, J ^[4]; Perks, M ^[5]

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1. Argonne National Lab., IL (USA)
2. Internationale Atomreaktorbau GmbH (INTERATOM), Bergisch Gladbach (Germany, F.R.)
3. Kernforschungszentrum Karlsruhe GmbH (Germany, F.R.)
4. CEA Centre d'Etudes Nucleaires de Cadarache, 13 - Saint-Paul-lez-Durance (France)
5. UKAEA Risley Nuclear Power Development Establishment (UK)

In a cooperative effort among European and US analysts, an assessment of the comparative safety performance of metal and oxide fuels during accidents in a large (3500 MWt), pool-type, liquid-metal-cooled reactor (LMR) was performed. The study focused on three accident initiators with failure to scram: the unprotected loss-of-flow (ULOF), the unprotected transient overpower (UTOP), and the unprotected loss-of-heat-sink (ULOHS). Emphasis was placed on identification of design features that provide passive, self-limiting responses to upset conditions, and quantification of relative safety margins. The analyses show that in ULOF and ULOHS sequences, metal-fueled LMRs with pool-type primary systems provide larger temperature margins to coolant boiling than oxide-fueled reactors of the same design. 3 refs., 4 figs.

• Research Organization: Argonne National Lab., IL (USA)
• Sponsoring Organization: DOE/NE
• DOE Contract Number: W-31109-ENG-38
• OSTI ID: 6888567
• Report Number(s): CONF-900804-12; ON: DE90010582; TRN: 90-019993
• Resource Relation: Conference: International topical meeting on fast reactor safety, Snowbird, UT (USA), 12-16 Aug 1990
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS
21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
LMFBR TYPE REACTORS
LOSS OF FLOW
NUCLEAR FUELS
TRANSIENT OVERPOWER ACCIDENTS
EUROPE
FEEDBACK
FUEL ELEMENTS
HEAT TRANSFER
HYDRAULICS
INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION
PIPES
PLUTONIUM
PLUTONIUM DIOXIDE
REACTIVITY
REACTOR SAFETY
URANIUM
URANIUM DIOXIDE
USA
ZIRCONIUM
ACCIDENTS
ACTINIDE COMPOUNDS
ACTINIDES
BREEDER REACTORS
CHALCOGENIDES
COOPERATION
ELEMENTS
ENERGY SOURCES
ENERGY TRANSFER
EPITHERMAL REACTORS
FAST REACTORS
FBR TYPE REACTORS
FLUID MECHANICS
FUELS
LIQUID METAL COOLED REACTORS
MATERIALS
MECHANICS
METALS
NORTH AMERICA
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PLUTONIUM COMPOUNDS
PLUTONIUM OXIDES
REACTOR ACCIDENTS
REACTOR COMPONENTS
REACTOR MATERIALS
REACTORS
SAFETY
TRANSITION ELEMENTS
TRANSURANIUM COMPOUNDS
TRANSURANIUM ELEMENTS
URANIUM COMPOUNDS
URANIUM OXIDES
220900* - Nuclear Reactor Technology- Reactor Safety
210500 - Power Reactors
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