Design of an Actinide Burning, Lead-Bismuth Cooled Reactor That Produces Low Cost Electricity

Donald, Philip Elsworth Mac; Weaver, Kevan; Davis, Cliff B.; folks, Mit

doi:10.2172/772054

Cited by 12 publications

(2 citation statements)

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“…where L is the total length of the fuel pin, D e denotes the equivalent hydraulic diameter, f = 0.316Re −0.25 represents the Darcy-Weisbach friction factor, and M is the multiplication factor that expresses the pressure losses apart from the frictional losses of the fuel pins. In this case, M = 2.5 was applied according to previous research produced by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology [41]. The expression for buoyancy pressure due to the gradient of coolant density can be written as…”

Section: Natural Circulation Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

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SPARK-NC: A Lead-Bismuth-Cooled Small Modular Fast Reactor with Natural Circulation and Load Following Capabilities

et al. 2020

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In this study, a conceptual design was developed for a lead-bismuth-cooled small modular fast reactor SPARK-NC with natural circulation and load following capabilities. The nominal rated power was set to 10 MWe, and the power can be manipulated from 5 MWe to 10 MWe during the whole core lifetime. The core of the SPARK-NC can be operated for eight effective full power years (EFPYs) without refueling. The core neutronics and thermal-hydraulics design calculations were performed using the SARAX code and the natural circulation capability of the SPARK-NC was investigated by employing the energy conservation equation, pressure drop equation and quasi-static reactivity balance equation. In order to flatten the radial power distribution, three radial zones were constructed by employing different fuel enrichments and fuel pin diameters. To provide an adequate shutdown margin, two independent systems, i.e., a control system and a scram system, were introduced in the core. The control assemblies were further classified into two types: primary control assemblies used for reactivity control and power flattening and secondary control assemblies (with relatively smaller reactivity worth) used for power regulation. The load following capability of SPARK-NC was assessed using the quasi-static reactivity balance method. By comparing three possible approaches for adjusting the reactor power output, it was shown that the method of adjusting the coolant inlet temperature was viable, practically easy to implement and favored for the load following operation.

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Section: Natural Circulation Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

“…where L is the total length of the fuel pin, e D denotes the equivalent hydraulic diameter, was applied according to previous research produced by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology [41]. The expression for buoyancy pressure due to the gradient of coolant density can be written as…”

Section: Natural Circulation Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%