Small Liquid Metal Cooled Reactor Safety Study

摘要

The Small Liquid Metal Cooled Reactor Safety Study documents results from activities conducted under Small Liquid Metal Fast Reactor Coordination Program (SLMFR-CP) Agreement, January 2004, between the Central Research Institute of the Electric Power Industry (CRIEPI) of Japan and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL)[1]. Evaluations were completed on topics that are important to the safety of small sodium cooled and lead alloy cooled reactors. CRIEPI investigated approaches for evaluating postulated severe accidents using the CANIS computer code. The methods being developed are improvements on codes such as SAS 4A used in the US to analyze sodium cooled reactors and they depend on calibration using safety testing of metal fuel that has been completed in the TREAT facility. The 4S and the small lead cooled reactors in the US are being designed to preclude core disruption from all mechanistic scenarios, including selected unprotected transients. However, postulated core disruption is being evaluated to support the risk analysis. Argonne National Laboratory and the University of California Berkeley also supported LLNL with evaluation of cores with small positive void worth and core designs that would limit void worth. Assessments were also completed for lead cooled reactors in the following areas: (1) continuing operations with cladding failure, (2) large bubbles passing through the core and (3) recommendations concerning reflector control. The design approach used in the US emphasizes reducing the reactivity in the control mechanisms with core designs that have essentially no, or a very small, reactivity change over the core life. This leads to some positive void worth in the core that is not considered to be safety problem because of the inability to identify scenarios that would lead to voiding of lead. It is also believed that the void worth will not dominate the severe accident analysis. The approach used by 4S requires negative void worth throughout the core life, which leads to large reactivity worth in the control systems. The conclusions from the evaluations support the high level of safety that can be achieved with small liquid metal cooled reactors using either approach.