Progress in reliability of fast reactor operation and new trends to increased inherent safety

Journal Article · Mon Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 2015 · Applied Energy

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2015.02.023· OSTI ID:1188618

Merk, Bruno ^[1]; Stanculescu, Alexander ^[2]; Chellapandi, Perumal ^[3]; Hill, Robert ^[4]

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1. Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR), (Germany). Inst. for Resource Ecology
2. Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
3. Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR), Kalpakkam (India). Nuclear Science and Engineering Group
4. Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)

The reasons for the renewed interest in fast reactors and an overview of the progress in sodium cooled fast reactor operation in the last ten years are given. The excellent operational performance of sodium cooled fast reactors in this period is highlighted as a sound basis for the development of new fast reactors. The operational performance of the BN-600 is compared and evaluated against the performance of German light water reactors to assess the reliability. The relevance of feedback effects for safe reactor design is described, and a new method for the enhancement of feedback effects in fast reactors is proposed. Experimental reactors demonstrating the inherent safety of advanced sodium cooled fast reactor designs are described and the potential safety improvements resulting from the use of fine distributed moderating material are discussed.

• Research Organization: Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Nuclear Energy (NE)
• DOE Contract Number: AC07-05ID14517
• OSTI ID: 1188618
• Report Number(s): INL/JOU-15-35650; TRN: US1500208
• Journal Information: Applied Energy, Vol. 147, Issue C; ISSN 0306-2619
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
FAST REACTORS
SODIUM COOLED REACTORS
WATER MODERATED REACTORS
REACTOR SAFETY
BELOYARSK-3 REACTOR
EXPERIMENTAL REACTORS
OPERATION
PERFORMANCE
RELIABILITY
WATER COOLED REACTORS
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
DESIGN
FEEDBACK
MODERATORS
NUCLEAR
NUCLEAR REACTORS
ENHANCED FEEDBACK
INHERENT SAFETY