High Temperature Intrinsically Safe Nuclear Reactor

Abstract

Small Modular Reactor (SMR) technologies have been recently included by the DOE as clean energy, a low carbondioxide emitting “alternative energy” source. The objective of this paper is to further the discussion of intrinsically safe nuclear reactors in the context of passive safety design principles and introduction of a novel conceptual reactor design. After a multiple year research study of past fast neutron reactor designs and recent reactor proposals, the following design is the result of analysis of the best concepts discovered. An improved fast reactor of the liquid metal cooled type including a core configuration allowing for only two operational states, “Power” or “Rest”. The flow of the primary cooling fluid suspends the core in the “Power” state, with sufficient flow to remove the heat to an intermediate heat exchanger during normal operation. This design utilizes the force of gravity to shut down the reactor after any loss of coolant flow, either a controlled reactor shut down or a Loss of Coolant Accident (LOCA) event, as the core is controlled via dispersion of fuel elements. Electromagnetic pumps incorporating automatic safety electrical cut-offs are employed to shutdown the primary cooling system to disassemble the core to the “Rest” configuration due to a loss of secondary coolant or loss of ultimate heat sink. This design is a hybrid pool-loop pressurized high-temperature reactor unique in its use of a minimum number of components, utilizing no moving mechanical parts, no rotating seals, and no control rods. This defines an elegantly simple Gen IV intrinsically safe nuclear reactor. [Advanced Small Modular Reactor (aSMR)]