Mechanisms Engineering Test Loop (METL): A Liquid Sodium Component Test Facility

摘要

The role of nuclear energy in the production of clean electricity is expected to increase with the development of Generation Ⅳ (GEN-Ⅳ) reactor technology. One of the more promising variations within the GEN-Ⅳ group is the sodium fast reactor (SFR). An inherently safe fast reactor can be designed using metallic fuel with liquid sodium as a coolant. The U.S. has historically built and operated such facilities, but efforts to modernize historical technology is needed. The Mechanisms Engineering Test Loop (METL) is an intermediate scale liquid sodium facility intended to provide an environment to test SFR components and instrumentation as well as train a modern workforce capable of working with sodium.