Izvestiya vuzov. Yadernaya Energetika

The peer-reviewed scientific and technology journal. ISSN: 0204-3327

Physical characteristics of the large size sodium cooled fast reactors with advanced nitride and metal fuel

9/01/2015 2015 - #02 Physics and technology of nuclear reactors

Matveev V.I. Malysheva I.V. Bur’evskij I.V.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.26583/npe.2015.2.14

UDC: 621.039.526

Mixed nitride uranium-plutonium fuel is the most attractive and perspective fuel for fast sodium cooled reactors and this fuel is considered as a basic fuel for future commercial fast power reactors. However, a substantial increase of breeding using this fuel instead of oxide fuel is insufficient for satisfaction of new requirements main from which is minimization of reactivity margin for burn-up that determined by breeding in the core. The results of calculational studies to choose the optimum layout of the core of large fast sodium reactor meeting modern requirements are presented in the paper.

A metallic fuel for fast reactors has been considered since the beginning of their designing due to a high density, heat conductivity, and the minimum of dilute nuclei that provides maximum possible breeding.

The features of metallic fuel and the results of calculational studies of the use of metallic fuel in large fast sodium reactors with comparison to nitride fuel are presented in the paper. The conclusion drawn is that in the same layout of the core a metallic fuel is behind nitride fuel from the point of safety providing for the reactor.

The basic calculations have been conducted in the diffusion approximation on the basis of the known program complex TRIGEX.

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fast sodium reactor nitride uranium-plutonium fuel metallic fuel fuel volume fraction reactivity margin for burn-up

Link for citing the article: Matveev V.I., Malysheva I.V., Bur’evskij I.V. Physical characteristics of the large size sodium cooled fast reactors with advanced nitride and metal fuel. Izvestiya vuzov. Yadernaya Energetika. 2015, no. 2, pp. 132-142; DOI: https://doi.org/10.26583/npe.2015.2.14 (in Russian).

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