Design Concept of an Advanced Light-Water Breeder Reactor Controlled by Movable Fuel (AWBA Development Program)

摘要

The Advanced Movable Fuel Breeder (AMFB) evolves from the successful work done to design, test, build, and operate the Light Water Breeder Reactor (LWBR) at Shippingport, PA. While it is similar to LWBR in its use of the thoria/urania fuel system and its reliance on movable fuel for reactivity control, AMFB is a conceptual design of a much larger reactor with a significantly improved breeding performance. The AMFB is a 1000 Mw(e) plant, batch loaded with a five year lifetime. It has an initial cycle fissile inventory ratio (FIR) of 1.03 and an equilibrium cycle FIR of 1.012. The plant is designed to operate at a system pressure of 2250 psia, with an average coolant temperature of 560 exp 0 F, and a net plant efficiency of 32%. The fuel assembly is 14'8'' in length and has been shown to be stable against xenon oscillations in the axial and the radial directions at all times in life. (ERA citation 08:051222)