Analysis of a Fast Spectrum Irradiation Facility in the High Flux Isotope Reactor

Conference · Tue Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 2008

OSTI ID:958875

Ellis, Ronald James ^[1]; Gehin, Jess C ^[1]; McDuffee, Joel Lee ^[1]; Hobbs, Randy W ^[1]

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1. ORNL

The Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP) is proposing to develop a sodium-cooled fast-spectrum reactor (SFR) to transmute and consume actinides from discharged nuclear fuel. To meet performance objectives, new and advanced fuels and targets need to be developed. The fuels to be irradiated include metal and oxide mixed actinides (U-Np-Pu-Am-Cm); for the target concept, Am-Cm has been considered. A significant part of the development process is the irradiation of the fuel and cladding in a prototypic fast reactor environment to determine the performance under irradiation. Analysis results are presented in this paper for a fast-neutron irradiation facility design based on the large fast neutron flux available in the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) combined with the use of a strongly-absorbing thermal neutron shield. Several designs were assessed; the preferred concept consists of a three-pin design with an europium oxide thermal neutron shield, to be situated in the HFIR flux trap. Analyses show that this design could provide a fast to thermal neutron flux ratio greater than 400, a fast neutron flux larger than 1x1015 n/cm2s, and with an acceptable impact on HFIR operation. This design feasibly will be a relatively low-cost near-term facility that meets the requirements for fast fuel irradiation.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL)
• Sponsoring Organization: ORNL LDRD Director's R&D
• DOE Contract Number: AC05-00OR22725
• OSTI ID: 958875
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
ACTINIDES
DESIGN
EUROPIUM OXIDES
FAST NEUTRONS
FAST REACTORS
HFIR REACTOR
IRRADIATION
NUCLEAR ENERGY
NUCLEAR FUELS
NUCLEAR POWER
ORNL
OXIDES
PERFORMANCE
PHYSICS
TARGETS
THERMAL NEUTRONS