Reference Reactor Module for the Affordable Fission Surface Power System

Poston, David I.; Kapernick, Richard J.; Dixon, David; Amiri, Benjamin W.; Marcille, Thomas F.

doi:10.1063/1.2844978

Cited by 7 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…Additionally, these neutrons have higher "worth" than in-core neutrons due to moderation as the neutrons travel through the reflector and back into the core [NASA 2010]. The impact of the geometric delayed neutron group can be seen in the MCNP calculation results for the FSP concept, which shows flux peaking in the outer ring of fuel elements due to reflected neutrons [Poston, et al 2009]. …”

Section: Applicable Critical Experimentsmentioning

confidence: 94%

“…Calculation of the L/D for specific benchmarked configurations is included below. The L/D for the FSP concept is approximately 2.6 in its present evolution [Poston et al 2009]. A large L/D effectively increases the reactivity worth of the radial reflector, such that removal or replacement of the reflector in a postulated accident would cause the core reactivity to decrease.…”

Section: Applicable Critical Experimentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The 2009 SNL study by Harms and Barber evaluated eight criticality benchmarks for applicability to the FSP conceptual design [Poston et al 2008], calculating the level of correlation for the various tested configurations. Benchmarks were selected based on their incorporation of a significant amount of beryllium in the benchmarked configuration and overall simplicity of the benchmark.…”

Section: Data Sets Summarized Inmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The current FSP reactor module reference concept includes the following materials and operating parameters [NASA 2010;Poston et al 2009]: -Minimum 40 kWe net power, after all losses accounted; -8-year service life; -Highly enriched uranium dioxide (HEU-O 2 ) fuel; -NaK-78 eutectic coolant; -Fast spectrum (non-moderated) design; -Be reflector; -Rotating control drums with B 4 C control material (arcs); -Stainless steel 316 (SS-316) clad and structural material; -Subcritical in all postulated accident scenarios (e.g. water submersion or sand burial).…”

Section: Ic Fsp Reference Conceptmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Reactor Testing and Qualification: Prioritized High-level Criticality Testing Needs

Bragg‐Sitton¹,

Bess²,

Werner³

et al. 2011

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Section: Applicable Critical Experimentsmentioning

confidence: 94%

Section: Applicable Critical Experimentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Data Sets Summarized Inmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Ic Fsp Reference Conceptmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Reactor Testing and Qualification: Prioritized High-level Criticality Testing Needs

Bragg‐Sitton¹,

Bess²,

Werner³

et al. 2011

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“…More recently NASA has been considering fission surface power systems for a lunar base [Marcille 2006, Poston 2008, Poston 2009] NaK cooled reactor concepts with Stirling power conversion have been reported as the reference concept. Prior to this, NASA and others had considered small reactors for Mars and other missions [Elliott 2003, Lipinski 2002 In addition to the nuclear electric power systems described above, the U.S. has developed concepts and hardware for nuclear thermal propulsion systems.…”

Section: R J Lipinskimentioning

confidence: 99%

Methods for modeling impact-induced reactivity changes in small reactors.

Tallman¹,

Radel²,

Smith³

et al. 2010

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This paper describes techniques for determining impact deformation and the subsequent reactivity change for a space reactor impacting the ground following a potential launch accident or for large fuel bundles in a shipping container following an accident. This technique could be used to determine the margin of subcriticality for such potential accidents. Specifically, the approach couples a finite element continuum mechanics model (Pronto3D or Presto) with a neutronics code (MCNP). DAGMC, developed at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, is used to enable MCNP geometric queries to be performed using Pronto3D output. This paper summarizes what has been done historically for reactor launch analysis, describes the impact criticality analysis methodology, and presents preliminary results using representative reactor designs.

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Neutron physics of the liquid‐fuel heat‐pipe reactor concept with molten salt fuel—Static calculations

et al. 2019

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Summary A liquid‐fuel heat‐pipe reactor (LFHPR) is a novel fast heterogeneous reactor developed by Harbin Engineering University, China, on the basis of liquid‐fuel reactor designs and the heat‐pipe reactor concept. In the concept, the reactor abandons the graphite moderator and keeps neither fuel tubes arranged in the graphite nor fuel rings around the heat pipe. Instead, the reactor applies molten salt fuels, molten metallic eutectic fuels, or other fuels in liquid form. The heat generated in the reactor is removed by the heat pipes driven by liquid metals. With this change, an LFHPR is much more flexible in design and application and able to achieve several advanced features compared with conventional heat‐pipe reactors. In this paper, we describe the general reactor design of an LFHPR, discuss its potential advantages, and give a preliminary verification of the neutron physical feasibility for the reference case, which uses molten salt as the fuel, by using both Monte Carlo and deterministic methods. Results show that the LFHPR yields a hard neutron spectrum that brings a very good neutron economy and is a promising application for breeding. From our approach, we conclude that the proposed LFHPR has a very high power density and high negative temperature feedback coefficient.

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Reference Reactor Module for the Affordable Fission Surface Power System

Cited by 7 publications

References 2 publications

Reactor Testing and Qualification: Prioritized High-level Criticality Testing Needs

Reactor Testing and Qualification: Prioritized High-level Criticality Testing Needs

Methods for modeling impact-induced reactivity changes in small reactors.

Neutron physics of the liquid‐fuel heat‐pipe reactor concept with molten salt fuel—Static calculations

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