Water cooled breeder program summary report (LWBR (Light Water Breeder Reactor) development program)

Technical Report · Thu Oct 01 00:00:00 EDT 1987

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/6957197· OSTI ID:6957197

The purpose of the Department of Energy Water Cooled Breeder Program was to demonstrate pratical breeding in a uranium-233/thorium fueled core while producing electrical energy in a commercial water reactor generating station. A demonstration Light Water Breeder Reactor (LWBR) was successfully operated for more than 29,000 effective full power hours in the Shippingport Atomic Power Station. The reactor operated with an availability factor of 76% and had a gross electrical output of 2,128,943,470 kilowatt hours. Following operation, the expended core was examined and no evidence of any fuel element defects was found. Nondestructive assay of 524 fuel rods determined that 1.39 percent more fissile fuel was present at the end of core life than at the beginning, proving that breeding had occurred. This demonstrates the existence of a vast source of electrical energy using plentiful domestic thorium potentially capable of supplying the entire national need for many centuries. To build on the successful design and operation of the Shippingport Breeder Core and to provide the technology to implement this concept, several reactor designs of large breeders and prebreeders were developed for commercial-sized plants of 900--1000 Mw(e) net. This report summarizes the Water Cooled Breeder Program from its inception in 1965 to its completion in 1987. Four hundred thirty-six technical reports are referenced which document the work conducted as part of this program. This work demonstrated that the Light Water Breeder Reactor is a viable alternative as a PWR replacement in the next generation of nuclear reactors. This transition would only require a minimum of change in design and fabrication of the reactor and operation of the plant.

• Research Organization: Bettis Atomic Power Lab. (BAPL), West Mifflin, PA (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AC11-76PN00014
• OSTI ID: 6957197
• Report Number(s): WAPD-TM-1600; ON: DE88010121
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
FUEL ELEMENTS
POST-IRRADIATION EXAMINATION
LWBR TYPE REACTORS
REACTOR OPERATION
REACTOR COMPONENTS
DESIGN
EVALUATION
FABRICATION
NONDESTRUCTIVE ANALYSIS
REACTOR COOLING SYSTEMS
REACTOR CORES
REACTOR FUELING
REACTOR MATERIALS
SPENT FUEL STORAGE
THORIUM
URANIUM 233
ACTINIDE ISOTOPES
ACTINIDE NUCLEI
ACTINIDES
ALPHA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BREEDER REACTORS
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
COOLING SYSTEMS
ELEMENTS
ENERGY SYSTEMS
EVEN-ODD NUCLEI
HEAVY NUCLEI
ISOTOPES
MATERIALS
METALS
NUCLEI
OPERATION
RADIOISOTOPES
REACTORS
STORAGE
THERMAL REACTORS
URANIUM ISOTOPES
WATER COOLED REACTORS
WATER MODERATED REACTORS
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
210500* - Power Reactors
Breeding