Idaho National Laboratory Lead or Lead-Bismuth Eutectic (LBE) Test Facility - R&D Requirements, Design Criteria, Design Concept, and Concept Guidance

Technical Report · Sun May 01 00:00:00 EDT 2005

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/910995· OSTI ID:910995

Loewen, Eric P; Demkowicz, Paul

The Idaho National Laboratory Lead-Bismuth Eutectic Test Facility will advance the state of nuclear technology relative to heavy-metal coolants (primarily Pb and Pb-Bi), thereby allowing the U.S. to maintain the pre-eminent position in overseas markets and a future domestic market. The end results will be a better qualitative understanding and quantitative measure of the thermal physics and chemistry conditions in the molten metal systems for varied flow conditions (single and multiphase), flow regime transitions, heat input methods, pumping requirements for varied conditions and geometries, and corrosion performance. Furthering INL knowledge in these areas is crucial to sustaining a competitive global position. This fundamental heavy-metal research supports the National Energy Policy Development Group’s stated need for energy systems to support electrical generation.1 The project will also assist the Department of Energy in achieving goals outlined in the Nuclear Energy Research Advisory Committee Long Term Nuclear Technology Research and Development Plan,2 the Generation IV Roadmap for Lead Fast Reactor development, and Advanced Fuel Cycle Initiative research and development. This multi-unit Lead-Bismuth Eutectic Test Facility with its flexible and reconfigurable apparatus will maintain and extend the U.S. nuclear knowledge base, while educating young scientists and engineers. The uniqueness of the Lead-Bismuth Eutectic Test Facility is its integrated Pool Unit and Storage Unit. This combination will support large-scale investigation of structural and fuel cladding material compatibility issues with heavy-metal coolants, oxygen chemistry control, and thermal hydraulic physics properties. Its ability to reconfigure flow conditions and piping configurations to more accurately approximate prototypical reactor designs will provide a key resource for Lead Fast Reactor research and development. The other principal elements of the Lead-Bismuth Eutectic Test Facility (in addition to the Pool Unit and Storage Unit) are the Bench Scale Unit and Supporting Systems, principal of which are the O2 Sensor/Calibration System, Feed System, Transfer System, Off- Gas System, Purge and Evacuation System, Oxygen Sensor and Control System, Data Acquisition and Control System, and the Safety Systems. Parallel and/or independent corrosion studies and convective heat transfer experiments for cylindrical and annular geometries will support investigation of heat transfer phenomena into the secondary side. In addition, molten metal pumping concepts and power requirements will be measured for future design use.

• Research Organization: Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: DOE - NE
• DOE Contract Number: DE-AC07-99ID-13727
• OSTI ID: 910995
• Report Number(s): INL/EXT-05-00267; TRN: US0704333
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

11 - NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
21 - SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
ADVISORY COMMITTEES
CONTROL SYSTEMS
DATA ACQUISITION
DESIGN
ENERGY POLICY
ENERGY SYSTEMS
EUTECTICS
FAST REACTORS
FUEL CYCLE
HEAT TRANSFER
KNOWLEDGE BASE
NUCLEAR ENERGY
OFF-GAS SYSTEMS
THERMAL HYDRAULICS
lead-bismuth eutectic