Can enhanced feedback effects and improved breeding coincide in a metal fueled, sodium cooled fast reactor?

Merk, Bruno; Devan, K.; Bachchan, Abhitab; Paul, D.J.; Puthiyavinayagam, P.; Srinivasan, G.

doi:10.1016/j.anucene.2017.03.018

Cited by 5 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…There is a clear increase in the number of full power days per inserted amount of Pu visible, which confirms that the number of full power days increases with increasing core radius faster than the amount of Pu that is required to operate the system. The result confirms the expectations that breeding is traditionally more efficient with reduced initial Pu loading per unit volume [16] as well as coinciding with the opposite observation that the breeding performance and the Pu fissile quality tend to degrade with very high Pu content in cores. This effect has been observed in the modelling There is a clear increase in the number of full power days per inserted amount of Pu visible, which confirms that the number of full power days increases with increasing core radius faster than the amount of Pu that is required to operate the system.…”

Section: Results and Discussion For The Two Component Systemsupporting

confidence: 87%

“…The influence seems negligible in comparison with the expected accuracy of the calculations (comparison to the Monte-Carlo result). However, it is relevant, since it confirms the expectation that a core with lower fissile content tends to deliver improved breeding performance [16], and here we approach the level of a sensitivity evaluation since both results are produced with an identical code setting besides the enrichment of fissile material. The dimension search is started with a uranium based core composition using a two component system with 53% NaCl and 47% UCl 3.8 .…”

Section: Results and Discussion For The Two Component Systemmentioning

confidence: 72%

“…To compensate the bias an increase of ~1% in the 235 U enrichment would be required, which relates to ~5% error in the enrichment determination or the system size would have to be increased by ~8 cm in radius which relates to a change of ~7% in the estimated diameter. In a real breeder design, the preferred approach would be to increase the core size, since increasing the fissile loading tends to decrease the breeding efficiency [16]. Both results indicate that the accuracy of the simulation is acceptable for the envisaged feasibility study.…”

Section: Code Comparison For Model Validationmentioning

confidence: 90%

“…Thus, the general approach of achieving a closed fuel cycle system using molten salt reactors as already given in the existing work of Mourogov at al [15] on REBUS-3700 is consequently deepened here into another level, disrupting the whole nuclear energy system (reactor with the whole related fuel cycle). REBUS-3700 has been introduced as a future reactor concept based on a classical heterogeneous fast reactor core concept (core with breeding blanket) like in sodium cooled fast reactor technology [16] and with a salt clean-up based on classical reprocessing-not explicitly worked out, but most probably based on the pyro-reprocessing techniques that were available in 2006. Unfortunately, the system did not get the attention such an innovative work should have deserved.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Evaluation of the Breeding Performance of a NaCl-UCl-Based Reactor System

et al. 2019

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The energy trilemma forms the key driver for the future of energy research. In nuclear technologies, molten salt reactors are an upcoming option which offers new approaches. However, the key would be closed fuel cycle operation which requires sufficient breeding for a self-sustained long term operation ideally based on spent fuel. To achieve these attractive goals two challenges have been identified: achieving of sufficient breeding and development of a demand driven salt clean up system. The aim is to follow up on previous work to create an initial approach to achieving sufficient breeding. Firstly, identification of a salt system with a high solubility for fertile material and sufficiently low melting point. Secondly, evaluation of the sensitivity of the breeding performance on the sort of fissile material, the fissile material loading, and the core dimension all based on a realistic salt system which provides the solubility for sufficient fertile material to achieve the required breeding in a homogeneous reactor without breeding blanket. Both points are essential to create an innovative solution to harvest the fruits of a closed fuel cycle without the penalty of the prohibitively huge investments. It is demonstrated that the identified and investigated NaCl-UCl based systems are feasible to deliver the requested in-core breeding within the given solubility limits of fertile material in the salt system using either uranium as start-up fissile component or plutonium. This result is enriched by the analysis of the achievable full power days per inserted mass of plutonium. These new insights support reactor optimization and lead to a first conclusion that systems with lower power density could be very attractive in the case of low fuel cost, like it would be given when operating on spent nuclear fuel.

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Section: Results and Discussion For The Two Component Systemsupporting

confidence: 87%

Section: Results and Discussion For The Two Component Systemmentioning

confidence: 72%

Section: Code Comparison For Model Validationmentioning

confidence: 90%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Evaluation of the Breeding Performance of a NaCl-UCl-Based Reactor System

et al. 2019

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“…This result demonstrates both the large breeding which takes place in this system (see the Pu accumulation in Figure 5) and the tremendous effect of the fission product accumulation on system criticality (see Figure 6). The general form of the breeding curve is comparable to results for other breeding based systems like sodium cooled fast reactors [27], while the detailed result is dominated by the core size/leakage and the correlation between fertile and fissile load in the system.…”

Section: Modelling and Simulation Resultssupporting

confidence: 66%

Defining the Challenges - Identifying the Key Poisoning Elements to be Separated in a Future Integrated Molten Salt Fast Reactor Clean-up System for iMAGINE

Merk¹,

Detkina²,

Litskevich³

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Nuclear fission technologies have the potential to play a significant role in the energy mix of a net-zero and sustainable society. However, to achieve the sustainability goal two significant challenges remain: efficient and sustainable fuel usage and the minimisation of long term nuclear waste. Civil nuclear molten salt systems and technologies offer the opportunity to address both, delivering future reactors at scale for efficient and effective power production and nuclear waste burnup. Potentially, both objectives could be fulfilled in one reactor system, which could significantly improve sustainability indices. In addition, demand driven development of a significantly reduced fuel cycle with enhanced proliferation resistance offers further potential for improvement. To achieve these goals, a transformative approach for salt clean-up during molten salt reactor operation is proposed in this work, by concentrating on the detection and removal of key neutron poisoning elements which prevent the reactor from long-term operation. This work also demonstrates the importance of the effective integration of physics, reactor design and chemistry when systems modelling in achieving these system development goals.

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