Design of an Actinide-Burning, Lead or Lead-Bismuth Cooled Reactor that Produces Low-Cost Electricity

Spectroscopic and microscopic study of the corrosion of iron–silicon steel by lead–bismuth eutectic (LBE) at elevated temperatures

“…Lead alloy coolants offer a number of attractive properties: chemical inertness with air and water, low vapor pressure over the relevant temperature range, high boiling point, high atomic number, and favorable neutronics (high scattering and small absorption cross-sections). The significance of these properties for potential reactor design issues was reported by Spencer [1] and by MacDonald et al [2]. One of the key limiting factors in the development and deployment of lead or lead-bismuth eutectic cooled reactor systems is the corrosion of cladding and structural materials.…”

Status of Research and Development of the Lead-Alloy-Cooled Fast Reactor

“…For metallic fuels, in the experience gained with U-Pu-Zr fuel in the development of the Integral Fast Reactor, the following issues were identified: (1) Interdiffusion of fuel and cladding constituents at high burnup during high-temperature operation can lead to cladding breach; this behavior will depend on final fuel composition and on fuel operating temperature. (2) Cladding materials that are sufficiently compatible with the fuel alloy must also be well suited for Pb-Bi and the high-exposure, fast-neutron environment. (3) Uranium, Pu, and Zr each are soluble in Pb and Bi, leading to potential concerns for fuel dissolution during failed fuel operation.…”

“…58,59) • A methodology for injection of gaseous mixtures of H 2 and H 2 O into the coolant flow to purify the Pb and Pb-Bi circuits of slag deposits. 80) • The development of solid phase oxidizers to control the thermodynamic activity of Pb and Pb-Bi coolants.…”

“…Considering that the nation's 104 existing reactors, which generate approximately 20% of the electricity demand, are, in majority, of Generation II design, it is evident that we need to design and certify new reactor concepts. The generally accepted criteria state that the Generation IV reactors must be (1) economically competitive, (2) inherently safe, (3) able to minimize waste, (4) able to enhance nonproliferation, and (5) able to provide social benefit (electricity, "hydricity").…”

“…The significance of these properties with respect to potential reactor design issues were reported by. 1,2) Some fifty years prior (in the 1950s), a Pb-Bi-cooled fast reactor was considered in the U.S., 3) then abandoned in favor of sodium (Na) cooling. This decision was made primarily because (1) the doubling time of Na-cooled fast reactors can be significantly shorter than that of Pb-Bi-cooled reactors as a result of the higher power density achievable in Na-cooled cores, and (2) Pb-Bi coolant at the temperatures of interest can be very corrosive to structural materials.…”