Advanced Pressurized Water Reactor for Improved Resource Utilization: Part I - Survey of Potential Improvements
Abstract
This document is an interim report under ACDA BOA AC9NX707, Task Order 80-03, which covers the evaluation of certain potential improvements in pressurized water reactor designs intended to enhance uranium fuel utilization. The objective of these evaluations is to seek advanced, non-retrofittable improvements that could possibly be commercialized by the end of the century, and, on the basis of a preliminary evaluation, to select compatible improvements for incorporation into a composite advanced pressurized water reactor concept. The principal areas of investigation include reduced parasitic absorption of neutrons (Task 1), reduced neutron leakage (Task 2), and alternative fuel design concepts (Task 3). To the extent possible, the advanced concept developed in an earlier study (Retrofittable Modifications to Pressurized Water Reactors for Improved Resource Utilization, SSA-128, October 1980) is used as a basis in developing the advanced composite concept. The reference design considered typical of present PWR commercial practice is the system described in RESAR-414, Reference Safety Analysis Report, Westinghouse Nuclear Energy Systems, October 1976.
- Authors:
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- Southern Science Applications, Inc., Dunedin, FL (US)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE; U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency (US)
- OSTI Identifier:
- 802886
- Report Number(s):
- SSA-136
CNN: AC9NX707; TRN: US200301%%456
- Resource Type:
- Technical Report
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: PBD: 15 Sep 1981
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS; 29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY AND ECONOMY; 22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS; ABSORPTION; DESIGN; EVALUATION; MODIFICATIONS; NEUTRON LEAKAGE; NEUTRONS; NUCLEAR ENERGY; PWR TYPE REACTORS; SAFETY ANALYSIS; URANIUM
Citation Formats
Turner, S.E., Gurley, M.K., Kirby, K.D., and Mitchell, W. III. Advanced Pressurized Water Reactor for Improved Resource Utilization: Part I - Survey of Potential Improvements. United States: N. p., 1981.
Web. doi:10.2172/802886.
Turner, S.E., Gurley, M.K., Kirby, K.D., & Mitchell, W. III. Advanced Pressurized Water Reactor for Improved Resource Utilization: Part I - Survey of Potential Improvements. United States. doi:10.2172/802886.
Turner, S.E., Gurley, M.K., Kirby, K.D., and Mitchell, W. III. Tue .
"Advanced Pressurized Water Reactor for Improved Resource Utilization: Part I - Survey of Potential Improvements". United States.
doi:10.2172/802886. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/802886.
@article{osti_802886,
title = {Advanced Pressurized Water Reactor for Improved Resource Utilization: Part I - Survey of Potential Improvements},
author = {Turner, S.E. and Gurley, M.K. and Kirby, K.D. and Mitchell, W. III},
abstractNote = {This document is an interim report under ACDA BOA AC9NX707, Task Order 80-03, which covers the evaluation of certain potential improvements in pressurized water reactor designs intended to enhance uranium fuel utilization. The objective of these evaluations is to seek advanced, non-retrofittable improvements that could possibly be commercialized by the end of the century, and, on the basis of a preliminary evaluation, to select compatible improvements for incorporation into a composite advanced pressurized water reactor concept. The principal areas of investigation include reduced parasitic absorption of neutrons (Task 1), reduced neutron leakage (Task 2), and alternative fuel design concepts (Task 3). To the extent possible, the advanced concept developed in an earlier study (Retrofittable Modifications to Pressurized Water Reactors for Improved Resource Utilization, SSA-128, October 1980) is used as a basis in developing the advanced composite concept. The reference design considered typical of present PWR commercial practice is the system described in RESAR-414, Reference Safety Analysis Report, Westinghouse Nuclear Energy Systems, October 1976.},
doi = {10.2172/802886},
journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Tue Sep 15 00:00:00 EDT 1981},
month = {Tue Sep 15 00:00:00 EDT 1981}
}
-
This report evaluates the enhanced resource utilization in an advanced pressurized water reactor (PWR) concept using a composite of selected improvements identified in a companion study. The selected improvements were in the areas of reduced loss of neutrons to control poisons, reduced loss of neutrons in leakage from the core, and improved blanket/reflector concepts. These improvements were incorporated into a single composite advanced PWR. A preliminary assessment of resource requirements and costs and impact on safety are presented.
-
ADVANCED PRESSURIZED WATER REACTOR STUDY. PART 1. PHASE I REPORT. PART 2. APPENDIXES TO PHASE I REPORT. PART 3. 235 Mw COAL-FIRED GENERATING PLANT
The results of a study made to evaluate the most promising design of a pressurized water reactor and turbine generator plant are presented. A plant size was developed of 248 Mw(e) capability which gives a net station output of slightly over 236 Mw(e). The plant is a heterogeneous light water cooled and moderated pressurized water reactor with a gross heat output of 685 Mw(th). The core is of two-radial zone design with stainless steel clad uranium oxide fuel elements containing boron burnable poison to minimize mechanical control requirements. A study was made to determine the construction and operating costs ofmore » -
Retrofittable Modifications to Pressurized Water Reactors for Improved Resource Utilization
This report summarizes work performed for the U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency under BOA AC9NX707 (Task Order 80-02), as part of the Agency's continuing program on improved fuel utilization in light water reactors. The objective of the study was to investigate improvements in fuel management and design of water reactors (PWRs) that could potentially increase the utilization of natural uranium resources in a once-through fuel cycle (i.e., without using spent fuel reprocessing and recycle). For the present study, potential improvements were limited to retrofittable concepts, i.e., those which could be modifications to the reactor system or balance of plant.more » -
Advanced Burner Reactor with Breed-and-Burn Thorium Blankets for Improved Economics and Resource Utilization
This study assesses the feasibility of designing Seed and Blanket (S&B) Sodium-cooled Fast Reactor (SFR) to generate a significant fraction of the core power from radial thorium fueled blankets that operate on the Breed-and-Burn (B&B) mode without exceeding the radiation damage constraint of presently verified cladding materials. The S&B core is designed to maximize the fraction of neutrons that radially leak from the seed (or “driver”) into the subcritical blanket and reduce neutron loss via axial leakage. The blanket in the S&B core makes beneficial use of the leaking neutrons for improved economics and resource utilization. A specific objective ofmore » -
Quantitative analysis of potential performance improvements for the dry PWR (pressurized water reactor) containment
This report calculates the risk benefit associated with potential performance improvements for the large dry pressurized water reactor (PWR) containment. The analysis is based on the June 1989 draft NUREG-1150 results for the Zion commercial nuclear reactor. Simplified containment event trees and the large accident progression event trees from draft NUREG-1150 are used to evaluate the effects of the potential improvements on the response of the Zion containment to dominant severe accident sequences. Source terms are generated parametrically using the ZISOR code and offsite consequences are calculated with the MELCOR Accident Consequence Code System (MACCS). These results give point estimatesmore »