LMFBR fuel assembly design for HCDA fuel dispersal

Patent · 01 January 1984

OSTI ID:865108

Lacko, Robert E.; Tilbrook, Roger W.

A fuel assembly for a liquid metal fast breeder reactor having an upper axial blanket region disposed in a plurality of zones within the fuel assembly. The characterization of a zone is dependent on the height of the axial blanket region with respect to the active fuel region. The net effect of having a plurality of zones is to establish a dispersal flow path for the molten materials resulting during a core meltdown accident. Upward flowing molten material can escape from the core region and/or fuel assembly without solidifying on the surface of fuel rods due to the heat sink represented by blanket region pellets.

• Research Organization: Westinghouse Electric Corp., Madison, PA (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: AM02-76CH94000
• Assignee: United States of America as represented by U.S. Department of Energy (Washington, DC)
• Patent Number(s): 4,462,958
• Application Number: 06/373,469
• OSTI ID: 865108
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

/376/976/
accident
active
active fuel
assembly
assembly design
axial
blanket
blanket region
breeder
breeder reactor
characterization
core
core meltdown
core region
dependent
design
dispersal
disposed
due
effect
escape
establish
fast
fast breeder
flow
flow path
flowing
fuel
fuel assembly
fuel region
fuel rod
fuel rods
hcda
heat
heat sink
height
liquid
liquid metal
lmfbr
material
materials
meltdown
metal
metal fast
molten
molten material
molten materials
net
path
pellets
plurality
reactor
region
region disposed
represented
respect
resulting
rods
sink
solidifying
surface
upper
upward
upward flow
zone
zones