Rapid-L Operator-Free Fast Reactor Concept Without Any Control Rods
| Autor: | Mitsuru Kambe, Takamichi Iwamura, Hirokazu Tsunoda, Kaichiro Mishima |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2003 |
| Předmět: |
Nuclear and High Energy Physics
Integrated design Materials science 020209 energy Shutdown Nuclear engineering Control rod 02 engineering and technology Nuclear reactor Condensed Matter Physics law.invention Electric power system 020303 mechanical engineering & transports 0203 mechanical engineering Nuclear Energy and Engineering Nuclear reactor core law Control system Inherent safety 0202 electrical engineering electronic engineering information engineering Nuclear chemistry |
| Zdroj: | Nuclear Technology. 143:11-21 |
| ISSN: | 1943-7471 0029-5450 |
| DOI: | 10.13182/nt03-a3394 |
| Popis: | The 200-kW(electric) uranium-nitride-fueled lithium-cooled fast reactor concept 'RAPID-L' to achieve highly automated reactor operation has been demonstrated. RAPID-L is designed for a lunar base power system. It is one of the variants of the RAPID (Refueling by All Pins Integrated Design) fast reactor concept, which enables quick and simplified refueling. The essential feature of the RAPID concept is that the reactor core consists of an integrated fuel assembly instead of conventional fuel subassemblies. In this small-size reactor core, 2700 fuel pins are integrated and encased in a fuel cartridge. Refueling is conducted by replacing a fuel cartridge. The reactor can be operated without refueling for up to 10 yr.Unique challenges in reactivity control systems design have been addressed in the RAPID-L concept. The reactor has no control rod but involves the following innovative reactivity control systems: lithium expansion modules (LEM) for inherent reactivity feedback, lithium injection modules (LIM) for inherent ultimate shutdown, and lithium release modules (LRM) for automated reactor startup. All these systems adopt {sup 6}Li as a liquid poison instead of B{sub 4}C rods. In combination with LEMs, LIMs, and LRMs, RAPID-L can be operated without an operator. This reactor concept is also applicable to the terrestrial fastmore » reactors. In this paper, the RAPID-L reactor concept and its transient characteristics are presented.« less |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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