The Dragon Project origins, achievements and legacies

Price, M.S.T.

doi:10.1016/j.nucengdes.2011.12.024

Cited by 32 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 2 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…This idea to coat nuclear fuel is not new. It started with the high temperature helium gas-cooled Dragon nuclear reactor in the UK which was commissioned in 1965 and operated until 1975 [26]. The allceramic fuel for this reactor was produced in the form of 500 to 800 μm diameter microspheres of fissile material coated with layers of pyrocarbon and silicon dioxide.…”

Section: Coated Nuclear Fuel Particles (Triso Particles)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Diffusion of fission products and radiation damage in SiC

Malherbe

2013

J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys.

106

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

A major problem with most of the present nuclear reactors is their safety in terms of the release of radioactivity into the environment during accidents. In some of the future nuclear reactor designs, i.e. Generation IV reactors, the fuel is in the form of coated spherical particles, i.e. TRISO (acronym for Triple Coated Isotropic) particles. The main function of these coating layers is to act as diffusion barriers for radioactive fission products, thereby keeping these fission products within the fuel particles, even under accident conditions. The most important coating layer is composed of polycrystalline 3C-SiC. This paper reviews the diffusion of the important fission products (silver, caesium, iodine and strontium) in SiC. Because radiation damage can induce and enhance diffusion, the paper also briefly reviews damage created by energetic neutrons and ions at elevated temperatures, i.e. the temperatures at which the modern reactors will operate, and the annealing of the damage. The interaction between SiC and some fission products (such as Pd and I) is also briefly discussed. As shown, one of the key advantages of SiC is its radiation hardness at elevated temperatures, i.e. SiC is not amorphized by neutron or bombardment at substrate temperatures above 350°C. Based on the diffusion coefficients of the fission products considered, the review shows that at the normal operating temperatures of these new reactors (i.e. less than 950°C) the SiC coating layer is a good diffusion barrier for these fission products. However, at higher temperatures the design of the coated particles needs to be adapted, possibly by adding a thin layer of ZrC.

show abstract

Section: Coated Nuclear Fuel Particles (Triso Particles)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Diffusion of fission products and radiation damage in SiC

Malherbe

2013

J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys.

106

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Helium was used in the Dragon reactor, which was completed in 1964 and operated until 1974. This reactor produced 20 MW of heat and did not have an electricity generation circuit 2,9,19 …”

Section: Status Of Gas Cooled Reactorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A review and safety aspects of modularhigh‐temperature gas‐cooledreactors

2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Summary Modular high‐temperature gas‐cooled reactor (MHTGR) is being developed under the Next Generation Nuclear Plant Program in nuclear engineering studies. As the world searches for an energy source with high energy density, clean, abundant, and storable nature to avoid global warming issues, MHTGR seems to be a promising solution, particularly the possibility of producing hydrogen. Studying and developing safety analyses are required for the optimum design and safety of the MHTGR systems. The focus of several researchers, in previous years, has been directed in conducting investigations on natural convection heat transfer and flow dynamics in diverse geometries and operating conditions of MHTGR. The implementation of natural convection in nuclear reactors comes in the form of an engineered feature in accomplishing passive safety. In this review article, a comprehensive literature review has been introduced about the current status of the MHTGR. As part of an effort to understand the current status of the MHTGR safety analysis technology, this article introduced the MHTGR phenomena identification and event categorization and acceptance criteria.

show abstract

“…Ideas for turnkey modular reactors, where maintenance, fuel supply and disposal is taken care of by the vendor/operator may The UK operated the first HTGR research reactor called DRAGON from 1963 to 1976 [147]. The UK heavily relied on gas-cooled commercial reactors (other than HTGRs) in the past so that licensing HTGR plants may be less of a stretch for the UK licensing body than it could be in other countries that primarily relied on light water reactor technology.…”

Section: Identified Challengesmentioning

confidence: 99%

On the Sustainability and Progress of Energy Neutral Mineral Processing

et al. 2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

A number of primary ores such as phosphate rock, gold-, copper-and rare earth ores contain considerable amounts of accompanying uranium and other critical materials. Energy neutral mineral processing is the extraction of unconventional uranium during primary ore processing to use it, after enrichment and fuel production, to generate greenhouse gas lean energy in a nuclear reactor. Energy neutrality is reached if the energy produced from the extracted uranium is equal to or larger than the energy required for primary ore processing, uranium extraction, -conversion, -enrichment and -fuel production. This work discusses the sustainability of energy neutral mineral processing and provides an overview of the current progress of a multinational research project on that topic conducted under the umbrella of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

show abstract

The Dragon Project origins, achievements and legacies

Cited by 32 publications

References 2 publications

Diffusion of fission products and radiation damage in SiC

Diffusion of fission products and radiation damage in SiC

A review and safety aspects of modularhigh‐temperature gas‐cooledreactors

On the Sustainability and Progress of Energy Neutral Mineral Processing

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About