Optimized control rod designs for Generation-IV fast reactors using alternative absorbers and moderators
| Autor: | T. Kooyman, L. Buiron, H. Guo, P. Sciora |
|---|---|
| Přispěvatelé: | National Sun Yat-Sen University (NSYSU), CEA-Direction des Energies (ex-Direction de l'Energie Nucléaire) (CEA-DES (ex-DEN)), Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA) |
| Rok vydání: | 2019 |
| Předmět: |
Materials science
[PHYS.NUCL]Physics [physics]/Nuclear Theory [nucl-th] 020209 energy Nuclear engineering Control rod Oxide chemistry.chemical_element 02 engineering and technology Boron carbide [PHYS.NEXP]Physics [physics]/Nuclear Experiment [nucl-ex] 01 natural sciences 010305 fluids & plasmas Hafnium chemistry.chemical_compound Nuclear Energy and Engineering chemistry 0103 physical sciences 0202 electrical engineering electronic engineering information engineering Melting point Hafnium diboride Absorption (electromagnetic radiation) ComputingMilieux_MISCELLANEOUS Burnup |
| Zdroj: | Annals of Nuclear Energy Annals of Nuclear Energy, 2019, 132, pp.713-722. ⟨10.1016/j.anucene.2019.07.007⟩ |
| ISSN: | 0306-4549 |
| Popis: | The characteristics of Generation-IV fast reactors strongly impact the design of its control rods. The traditional control rod is a cluster of vented pins with boron carbide (B 4 C) as the absorber. Due to the gas release, the neutron-induced swelling, the melting risk, and the high loss of the reactivity worth, B 4 C impact the safety performance of control rods and thus limit their operating lifetime. Various alternative absorbers to B 4 C are assessed in detailed designs according to their neutronic performance, safety performance, and waste management. The hafnium diboride (HfB 2 ) process a high thermal conductivity, a high melting point, and a small neutron-induced swelling, which contributes to an enhanced safety performance. The europium oxide (Eu 2 O 3 ) process a very small loss of the absorption ability for a long-time utilization. Hafnium hydride (HfH 1.62 ) has a good neutronic performance, but its hydrogen desorption issue should be further investigated. The absorption cross-section decreases generally with the neutron incident energy. Moreover, an important spatial self-shielding effect is found in the control rod, which leads to a peak temperature and peak burnup in the outer zone while a non-optimized utilization of absorber in the inner zone. In this work, the hydrogen-containing moderator is used in independent pins to replace some absorber pins in control rods. The moderator is able to increase significantly the absorption ability of Eu 2 O 3 and of gadolinium oxide (Gd 2 O 3 ). The moderator optimizes the utilization of absorbers, such as HfB 2 and B 4 C, and save their investment. By homogenizing the absorption distribution, the application of moderators has only a limited influence on safety performance or waste management. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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