Regulatory Technology Development Plan Sodium Fast Reactor. Mechanistic Source Term Development

Abstract

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Mechanistic source term development for liquid fueled MSRs - Model Development Update

“…As mentioned above, the development of the MSR MST assessment capability discussed in this report builds on the successful MST evaluation of the sodium fast reactor (SFR) concept developed as part of the DOE Advanced Reactor Technology, Regulatory Technology Development Plan (Grabaskas et al, 2015, Grabaskas et al, 2016aand Grabaskas et al, 2016b. The general methodology for MSR MST is summarized in Figure 1.…”

Impurities in Primary Coolant Salt of FHRs: Chemistry, Impact, and Removal Methods

“…Iodine is the major halogen, and it is a fission product coming from the fuel or decay of its precursors, for example, Te. Iodine will form some iodide with other fission products (e.g., CsI) which can dissolve into the primary salt. Therefore, nearly all iodine isotopes remain in the salt in the form of I − instead of validation .…”

Regulatory Technology Development Plan - Sodium Fast Reactor. Mechanistic Source Term - Trial Calculation. Work Plan

“…In FY14, an analysis by Argonne [1] identified the development of an SFR-specific MST methodology as an existing licensing gap with high regulatory importance and a potentially long lead-time to closure. This work was followed by an initial examination of the current state-of-knowledge regarding SFR source term development (ANL-ART-3 [2]), which reported several potential gaps. Among these were the potential inadequacies of current computational tools to properly model and assess the transport and retention of radionuclides during a metal fuel pool-type SFR core damage incident 1 .…”

“…The trial MST analysis will focus on the consequences of a bounding beyond design-basis core damage accident for a metal fuel, pool-type SFR 2 . Accidents within this category may result in fuel pin failures or limited fuel melting, but a coolable core geometry, vessel integrity, and core submersion in sodium are maintained.…”

“…In FY13, an investigation by Argonne National Laboratory (Argonne) regarding sodium fast reactor (SFR) licensing gaps identified the MST as a possible impediment to future licensing [1]. Following this work, a project was initiated to characterize the current state-of-knowledge regarding SFR MSTs [2]. The findings of this study indicated that a deficiency may exist regarding the ability of current computational tools to properly assess the release and transport of radionuclides during an SFR core damage accident.…”