Laying the Foundation for New and Advanced Nuclear Reactors in the United States (2023) / Chapter Skim
Currently Skimming:
2 Advanced Reactor Technologies
2 Advanced Reactor Technologies
Pages 22-37
The Chapter Skim interface presents what we've algorithmically identified as the most significant single chunk of text within every page in the chapter.
Select key terms on the right to highlight them within pages of the chapter.
From page 22... ...
This chapter examines the spectrum of advanced reactor technologies that are currently under development, including their design and safety attributes, fuels and materials development, and technology readiness and gaps. DESIGN CHARACTERISTICS As shown in Table 2-1, advanced reactor technologies can be characterized by their neutron spectrum, the nuclear fuel, and the coolant used for heat transport (Reitsma et al.
|
From page 23... ...
Luque-Gutierrez, et al., 2020, Advances in Small Modular Reactor Technology Developments: A Supplement to IAEA Advanced Reactors Information System (ARIS) , Austria: International Atomic Energy Agency, https://aris.iaea.
|
From page 24... ...
Hill, J Gehin, et al., 2017, "A Summary of the Department of Energy's Advanced Demonstration and Test Reaction Options Study," Nuclear Technology 199:111–128, https://doi.org/10.1080/00295450.2017.1336029; Nuclear Energy Agency -- Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, 2021, "Advanced Nuclear Reactor Systems and Future Energy Market Needs," NEA No.
|
From page 25... ...
: • Negative reactivity coefficient for helium-cooled thermal reactor systems and sodium-cooled fast reactor systems causes a reactor power decrease for a reactor temperature increase. • Single-phase coolants during normal operation with large margins to boiling for liquid coolants keep the reactor core cooling effective over a wide temperature range.
|
From page 26... ...
• Strong fission product retention in sodium, molten salts, and graphite moderator reduces the amount of radioactive material release from the reactor system. TABLE 2-3 Safety Characteristics of Advanced Reactors Reactor Type Passive and Inherent Safety Characteristics Example Reactor Designs Small modular LWR (SMR)
|
From page 27... ...
Therefore, while these advanced reactor designs have the potential to demonstrate that required safety functions can be accomplished, the designs will need to demonstrate that they can meet the standards established by the government regulatory body (e.g., NRC in the United States) by integral testing as well as appropriate supporting safety analyses.
|
From page 28... ...
Finding 2-2: Reactor designers and owners must demonstrate that key safety functions (i.e., reactivity control, heat removal, radioactivity containment) are satisfied during normal operation, transients, and the full range of possible accidents.
|
From page 29... ...
Liquid metal cooled fast Several small sodium- High technology readiness Qualification of annular metal fuel as a reactor (sodium) cooled fast reactors for small SFR transition from sodium-bonded metal fuel operating worldwide.
|
From page 30... ...
has been used several times in the past; a well-known safety-relevant example is the periodic testing of LWR reactor pressure vessel coupons during every fuel replacement outage to ensure safe operation of the pressure vessel. Advanced manufacturing concepts such as additive manufacturing, powder metallurgy–hot isostatic pressing (PM-HIP)
|
From page 31... ...
Finding 2-3: For all the non-light water reactors that require higher 235U enrichment beyond current established levels, a new fuel supply chain system must be qualified and commercially developed. Without this fuel supply chain, widespread commercial deployment of these reactor concepts cannot be achieved.
|
From page 32... ...
For example, SFR designs employ the operational experience of the EBR-II test reactor to develop a metal fuel for the larger SFR reactor design. The use of metal fuel coupled with the reactor core design allows the SFR to have inherent reactor shutdown capabilities for a range of postulated accidents (ANL 2020)
|
From page 33... ...
The time and effort needed depends, in part, on the technical readiness of the concept and prior operating experience with the specific reactor technology involved. More mature concepts, such as advanced small modular light water reactors, small modular sodium fast reactors, and small modular high-temperature gas-cooled reactors, might be technically ready for demonstration by the end of this decade.
|
From page 34... ...
• Design-specific operational challenges. New reactor designs may have unique operational challenges, such as the use of molten salts and liquid fuels, as well as novel activation and waste control challenges.
|
From page 35... ...
Maintenance Maintenance of any facility and its components is a critical element in safe operations, as well as reliability and sustainability in performance of the physical plant. Configurations of advanced reactors could include a range of designs, such as a fleet of two, four, or eight smaller reactors scaled to MWe requirements or a more conventional single-reactor design with a larger MWe output capacity.
|
From page 36... ...
As discussed above, the technical readiness of these different advanced reactor design concepts varies, with some developers aiming for deployment at the end of this decade and others targeting deployment thereafter. Several technological topics must be addressed to improve the technology readiness of the advanced reactor designs under development (see Table 2-4)
|
From page 37... ...
2020. Advances in Small Modular Reactor Technology Develop ments: A Supplement to IAEA Advanced Reactors Information System (ARIS)
|
Key Terms
This material may be derived from roughly machine-read images, and so is provided only to facilitate research.
More
information on Chapter Skim is available.