Current and prospective safety issues at the HFBR
The Brookhaven High Flux Beam Reactor (HFBR) was designed primarily to produce external neutron beams for experimental research. It is cooled, moderated and reflected by heavy water and uses MTR-ETR type fuel elements containing enriched uranium. The reactor power when operation began in 19965 was 40 MW, was raised to 60 MW in 1982 after a number of plant modifications, and operated at that level until 1989. Since that time safety questions have been raised which resulted in extended shutdowns and a reduction in operating power to 30 MW. This paper will discuss the principle safety issues, plans for their resolution and return to 60 MW operation. In addition, radiation embrittlement of the reactor vessel and thermal shield and its affect on the life of the facility will be briefly discussed.
- Research Organization:
- Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC02-76CH00016
- OSTI ID:
- 230195
- Report Number(s):
- BNL-62638; CONF-9606116-3; ON: DE96007740; TRN: 96:014226
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: Annual meeting of the American Nuclear Society (ANS), Reno, NV (United States), 16-20 Jun 1996; Other Information: PBD: [1996]
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
High-flux beam reactor PRA: Level 1, internal events
Flow reversal power limit for the HFBR