A review of existing SuperCritical Water reactor concepts, safety analysis codes and safety characteristics

Wu, Pan; Ren, Yanhao; Feng, Ming; Shan, Jianqiang; Huang, Yanping; Yang, Wenhua

doi:10.1016/j.pnucene.2022.104409

Cited by 12 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…Supercritical Water-Cooled Reactor (SCWR) is a high-temperature, high-pressure, light water-cooled reactor that operates above the thermodynamic critical point of water (374°C, 22.1 MPa) [17]. Even though it uses light water as a coolant, SCWR is considered an evolution of both PWRs and BWRs.…”

Section: Supercritical Water Reactormentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessment of Nuclear Sensors and Instrumentation Maturity in Advanced Nuclear Reactors

Abuqudaira,

Tsvetkov,

Sabharwall

2023

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In the last decade, 97% of the worldwide commercial nuclear reactors connected to the grid were Light Water Reactors (LWRs). LWRs are expected to stay the dominant type of nuclear reactors for the next few decades. Reliable and redundant safety systems are required in nuclear reactors to ensure safe operation and shutdown in abnormal conditions. These safety systems are actuated by the signals obtained from several sensors and instrumentation in and out of the reactor core. Research and Development (R&D) in advanced sensors and instrumentation has gained extra attention, particularly following the accident at the Three Mile Island Unit-2 (TMI-2). In LWRs, these sensors and instrumentation have shown a high level of maturity with long operating experience. Ensuring the compatibility of these sensors and instrumentation with advanced nuclear reactors (Generation IV) is necessary, particularly with the expected expansion of the nuclear industry in the next few decades. Nuclear Sensor and instrumentation technologies used in the current generation of LWRs were investigated. The compatibility of these technologies with advanced reactors was assessed by comparing the advanced reactors' environments with those of the currently operating reactors. In addition to that, the needed R&D for such technologies was highlighted. In comparison with the LWRs environment, it was shown that advanced reactor environments are expected to experience elevated temperatures, a fast neutron spectrum, and a harsh corrosion environment. It was demonstrated that R&D is required mainly for fixed in-core nuclear sensors and instrumentation, while it is not a priority for ex-core nuclear sensors and instrumentation.In LWRs, sensors and instrumentation passed a long way of R&D until they reached a high level of maturity. However, the advanced reactor designs pose new challenges to these sensors and instrumentation, mainly due to the differences in the operating environments of the reactors. Some sensors and instrumentation, particularly in-core sensors and instrumentation, will operate in conditions significantly different from those in the current generation of nuclear reactors. High-temperature and corrosive environments can impose significant challenges to the design of sensors and instrumentation. In addition to that, these operating conditions could also impact sensors and instrumentations' reliability and accuracy. As a result of these factors, R&D programs are emerging, intending to commercially obtain sensors and instrumentation specifically designed for these types of reactors.

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Section: Supercritical Water Reactormentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessment of Nuclear Sensors and Instrumentation Maturity in Advanced Nuclear Reactors

Abuqudaira,

Tsvetkov,

Sabharwall

2023

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“…In recent years, significant advancements have been made in developing fourthgeneration, advanced nuclear reactors, notably supercritical water-cooled reactors (SCWRs) that are central to this study. These reactors are among six innovative designs being pursued for commercial applications by the "Generation IV International Forum" (GIF) research and development collaboration [2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10]. The SCWR, a class of high-temperature, high-pressure, water-cooled reactors, operates above the thermodynamic critical point of water-temperatures exceeding 373.95 • C and pressures above 22.1 megapascals (MPa) for light water (H 2 O) [11].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Supercritical Water: A Simulation Study to Unravel the Heterogeneity of Its Molecular Structures

Assomo,

Ebrahimi,

Jay-Gerin

et al. 2024

Molecules

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(1) Background: In the quest to accurately model the radiolysis of water in its supercritical state, a detailed understanding of water’s molecular structure, particularly how water molecules are arranged in this unique state, is essential. (2) Methods: We conducted molecular dynamics simulations using the SPC/E water model to investigate the molecular structures of supercritical water (SCW) over a wide temperature range, extending up to 800 °C. (3) Results: Our results show that at a constant pressure of 25 MPa, the average intermolecular distance around a reference water molecule remains remarkably stable at ~2.9 Å. This uniformity persists across a substantial temperature range, demonstrating the unique heterogeneous nature of SCW under these extreme conditions. Notably, the simulations also reveal intricate patterns within SCW, indicating the simultaneous presence of regions with high and low density. As temperatures increase, we observe a rise in the formation of molecular clusters, which are accompanied by a reduction in their average size. (4) Conclusions: These findings highlight the necessity of incorporating the molecular complexity of SCW into traditional track-structure chemistry models to improve predictions of SCW behavior under ionizing radiation. The study establishes a foundational reference for further exploration of the properties of supercritical water, particularly for its application in advanced nuclear technologies, including the next generation of water-cooled reactors and their small modular reactor variants that utilize SCW as a coolant.

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“…Supercritical water‐cooled reactors (SCWRs) have been one of the promising next‐generation (Gen‐IV) nuclear energy technology designs, offering higher thermal efficiency and simpler coolant system structure configuration. [ 1,2 ] However, the extreme operating conditions of SCWRs, including higher operational temperature, pressure (374°C, 22.1 MPa), and corrosive environments, pose significant challenges for the materials used in reactor components during long‐term exposure. The prototype of a typical SCWR design features outlet coolant temperatures and pressures up to 510°C and 25 MPa, especially with hot spots on its fuel cladding material exceeding 600°C, even higher in some transient cases.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effect of different surface treatments of 310S austenitic stainless steel on the corrosion behavior in supercritical water using slow positron methods

Song,

Krsjak,

Slugen

et al. 2024

Materials & Corrosion

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The corrosion behavior of 310S austenitic stainless steel, subjected to different surface treatments machined (MA), sandblasting (SB), and polishing (PO), was exposed to a 550°C supercritical water (SCW) environment. The aged samples were analyzed using variable‐energy slow positron beam techniques. The obtained results revealed that the plastic deformation of the near‐surface region of the MA and SB samples was substantially recovered in the SCW conditions. At least two distinct oxide layers formed, and the oxidation process created a Fe/Cr depletion zone in the inner layer. Various surface treatments, however, led to different corrosion profiles. The depth profile of slow positron beam characterization suggests that significant residual stress and deformation zones on the surfaces of the sandblasted samples probably provided a diffusion path for the oxidation of the 310S. Only the SB samples exhibited a negative weight change after SCW exposure. At the same time, the SB samples showed the highest concentration of the positron traps in this region, which was explained by open‐volume defects associated with the microcracks introduced by sandblasting.

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A review of existing SuperCritical Water reactor concepts, safety analysis codes and safety characteristics

Cited by 12 publications

References 21 publications

Assessment of Nuclear Sensors and Instrumentation Maturity in Advanced Nuclear Reactors

Assessment of Nuclear Sensors and Instrumentation Maturity in Advanced Nuclear Reactors

Supercritical Water: A Simulation Study to Unravel the Heterogeneity of Its Molecular Structures

The effect of different surface treatments of 310S austenitic stainless steel on the corrosion behavior in supercritical water using slow positron methods

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