Operation and safety analysis of space lithium-cooled fast nuclear reactor

Jin, Zhao; Wang, Chenglong; Liu, Xiao; Dai, Zhiwen; Tian, Wenxi; Su, Guanghui; Qiu, Suizheng

doi:10.1016/j.anucene.2021.108729

Cited by 12 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…In the early 1990s, as NASA ambitious missions faced scrutiny and there was a growing preference for more pragmatic endeavors, the SP100 program was ultimately discontinued. Nonetheless, the preliminary safety analysis conducted for the SP100 nuclear power system, considering scenarios such as unprotected reactivity insertion and unprotected loss of heat sink, demonstrated that the lithium-cooled reactor coupled with the Stirling cycle exhibited satisfactory performance and resilience in the face of accidents (Jin et al, 2022).…”

Section: American Hpcr Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

Review of reactor conceptual design and thermal hydraulic characteristics for heat pipe in nuclear systems

Wang,

Ren,

2023

Front. Energy Res.

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Heat pipe cooled reactors (HPCRs) have broad application prospects due to their advantages, such as high power density, compact structure, lower cost, and easy modular assembly. Numerous countries have engaged in extensive research and development of HPCR conceptual designs. The heat from the reactor is removed by high temperature heat pipes (HTHPs), which generally employ alkali metals as the working fluid, such as potassium, sodium, and lithium. Understanding the thermal-hydraulic performance of HTHPs is essential for the safe and efficient operation of a reactor. Therefore, the objective of this paper is to provide a comprehensive review of HPCR conceptual designs developed by various countries in recent years. The research progress of HTHPs on flow and heat transfer performance is reviewed, with an emphasis on both transient and steady-state characteristics. Research progress, as well as the issues that need to be focused on in future research, are discussed in detail.

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Section: American Hpcr Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

Review of reactor conceptual design and thermal hydraulic characteristics for heat pipe in nuclear systems

Wang,

Ren,

2023

Front. Energy Res.

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“…The results showed that there is no fuel temperature or shaft speed overshoot under the control of the reactor controller. Zhao et al [15,16] analyzed the characteristics of the lithium-cooled space reactor combined with the Stirling engine under an unprotected reactivity insertion accident and an unprotected loss of heat sink accident, which verified the inherent safety of the system.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Analysis of the Radiator Loss Safety Boundary of a Space Reactor Gas Turbine Cycle with Multiple PCU Modules

Ma,

Ye,

Gao

et al. 2024

Energies

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The development of space exploration technologies puts higher demand on space power systems. The space reactor gas turbine cycle (SRGTC) has the advantages of compact configuration and small mass and volume and is one of the optimal options for future high-power space power systems. The SRGTC operates in an isolated island state and the radiator is fragile if it is hit by asteroids and space debris. The transient characteristics of the SRGTC are fundamental for safe operation in radiator loss accidents. In this paper, a dynamic model for the SRGTC is established, and the performance of the SRGTC with dual power conversion unit (PCU) modules (SRGTC-DPCU) after radiator loss was investigated. The results indicated that the waste heat of the system was accumulated in the radiator after radiator loss, which increased the consumed power of the compressor and further led to speed fluctuations. The bypass valve control and the temperature negative feedback effect can ensure the safe operation of the shaft and the reactor. More radiator loss decreased the speed far below the rated speed and exceeded the safety margin of the bypass valve control, which further led to system shutdown. There is a safety boundary of radiator loss accidents. Furthermore, the coupling effects of multiple PCUs after radiator loss were analyzed. The working fluid inventory was redistributed among the PCU modules. The reduction of working fluid inventory in the accident PCU module promoted the safety boundary. This study provides a reference for the operation of the SRGTC.

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“…As recently reviewed in (Song et al, 2021), worldwide 80% of the prototype designs and 100% of the actual tested space power supply systems are based on various designs of liquid metalcooled space nuclear reactors. Thanks to its high boiling point and low density, liquid lithium has attracted more and more attentions as the coolant for space nuclear reactor from both industrial and scientific community, see for instance in (Harty and Mason, 1993;Demuth, 2003;Jin, et al, 2022) etc. However, to meet the requirements of safety, reliability, viability, and the long-life expectancy of a space exploration mission, autonomous intelligent control of the reactor are of vital importance when designing the control system of a space nuclear reactor (Zhao at al., 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Design and assessment of a core-power controller for lithium-cooled space nuclear reactor based on the concept of fuzzy model predictive control

Yin

Yuan²,

Pang³

et al. 2023

Front. Energy Res.

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Thanks to its unique characteristics of high power-to-mass ratio, shallow reactivity poisoning, and quick response to reactivity control, power supply system based on lithium-cooled space nuclear reactor is preferred for various exploration missions into outer and deep space. However, due to its nature of few-people or even unmanned on-duty, an intelligent autonomous control of the reactor system, especially an accurate control of the reactor core power following the demanding power output, is of vital importance for such a space nuclear reactor. In this study, a core-power controller for a megawatt ultra-small lithium-cooled space nuclear reactor was designed based on the concept of fuzzy model predictive control (FMPC) combining model predictive control and T-S fuzzy theory. Performance of the FMPC controller was simulated and assessed with the Simulink platform for five typical operation transients including ramp, step and disturbance transient. The results show that the intelligent FMPC controller possesses an excellent load-following ability and anti-interference ability, both of which are of vital importance for space exploration missions. When compared with the classical PID controller, the FMPC controller designed in this study shows also a much better performance with smaller overshoot, lesser adjusting time and lower integral time-squared error.

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Operation and safety analysis of space lithium-cooled fast nuclear reactor

Cited by 12 publications

References 12 publications

Review of reactor conceptual design and thermal hydraulic characteristics for heat pipe in nuclear systems

Review of reactor conceptual design and thermal hydraulic characteristics for heat pipe in nuclear systems

Analysis of the Radiator Loss Safety Boundary of a Space Reactor Gas Turbine Cycle with Multiple PCU Modules

Design and assessment of a core-power controller for lithium-cooled space nuclear reactor based on the concept of fuzzy model predictive control

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