Electromagnetic Pumps for Main Cooling Systems of Commercialized Sodium-Cooled Fast Reactor

Aizawa, Kosuke; Chikazawa, Yoshitaka; Kotake, Shoji; Ara, K.; Aizawa, Rie; Ota, Hiroyuki

doi:10.1080/18811248.2011.9711709

Cited by 20 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 10 publications

(8 reference statements)

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“…The velocity of the coolant is calculated according to Equation and equals 0.464 m/second (which is less than the design limit of 2 m/second retained in Table ):

normalv = \frac{P_{th} . H}{c_{p} . m . ∆ T}

where P th is the thermal power, H is the active core height, c p is the specific heat, m is the total coolant mass, and ∆T is the temperature gap (assumed equal to 100 K). A study on electromagnetic pumps (EMPs) for the main cooling systems of a commercialized fast reactor shows that this fluid velocity is compatible with the EMP technology, which is reported to achieve a fluid velocity higher than 10 m/second.…”

Section: Performance Analysismentioning

confidence: 94%

Core design of long‐cycle small modular lead‐cooled fast reactor

et al. 2018

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Summary A core design of small modular liquid‐metal fast reactor (SMLFR) cooled by lead‐bismuth eutectic (LBE) was developed for power reactors. The main design constraint on this reactor is a size constraint: The core needs to be small enough so that (1) it can be transported in a spent nuclear fuel (SNF) cask to meet the electricity demands in remote areas and off‐grid locations or so that (2) it can be used as a power source on board of nuclear icebreaker ships. To satisfy this design requirement, the active core of the reactor is 1 m in height and 1.45 m in diameter. The reactor is fueled with natural and 13.86% low‐enriched uranium nitride (UN), as determined through an optimization study. The reactor was designed to achieve a thermal power of 37.5 MW with an assumption of 40% thermal efficiency by employing an advanced energy conversion system based on supercritical carbon dioxide (S‐CO2) as working fluid, in which the Brayton cycle can achieve higher conversion efficiencies and lower costs compared to the Rankine cycle. The outer region of the core with low‐enriched uranium (LEU) performs the function of core ignition. The center region plays the role of a breeding blanket to increase the core lifetime for long cycle operation. The core working fluid inlet and outlet temperatures are 300°C and 422°C, respectively. The primary coolant circulation is driven by an electromagnetic pump. Core performance characteristics were analyzed for isotopic inventory, criticality, radial and axial power profiles, shutdown margins (SDM), reactivity feedback coefficients, and integral reactivity parameters of the quasi‐static reactivity balance. It is confirmed through depletion calculations with the fast reactor analysis code system Argonne Reactor Computation (ARC) that the designed reactor can be operated for 30 years without refueling. Preliminary thermal‐hydraulic analysis at normal operation is also performed and confirms that the fuel and cladding temperatures are within normal operation range. The safety analysis performed with the ARC code system and the UNIST Monte Carlo code MCS shows that the conceptual core is favorable in terms of self‐controllability, which is the first step towards inherent safety.

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“…The velocity of the coolant is calculated according to Equation and equals 0.464 m/second (which is less than the design limit of 2 m/second retained in Table ):

normalv = \frac{P_{th} . H}{c_{p} . m . ∆ T}

Section: Performance Analysismentioning

confidence: 94%

Core design of long‐cycle small modular lead‐cooled fast reactor

et al. 2018

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Development of innovative reactor-integrated coolant system design concept for a small modular lead fast reactor

Kwak

Kim

2018

Int J Energy Res

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Summary The report describes the development of an innovative magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) space‐integrated coolant system design concept for the small modular lead fast reactor called the ubiquitous, rugged, accident‐forgiving, nonproliferating, and ultralasting sustainer reactor. The coolant system efficiency was analyzed based on space‐integrated geometric and electromagnetic variables related to the circulation of lead‐bismuth eutectic (LBE) liquid metal coolant in a reactor with a thermal output of 100 MWt and using the MHD principle. The objective of the system is to optimize the circulation of the noncontacting liquid metal coolant without any internal structure, such as an impellor or sealing part, to transport the LBE with high electrical conductivity in the reactor. The concept was first applied to the pool‐type integral leading facility for lead‐alloy cooled advanced small modular reactor, which serves as a scaled‐down experimental facility for the ubiquitous, rugged, accident‐forgiving, nonproliferating, and ultralasting sustainer reactor, for characteristic analysis of the coolant system subject to the requirements of a developed pressure of 8456 Pa and a mass flow rate of 21.37 kg/second. The MHD core blanket, which was attached to the upper part of the pool‐type integral leading facility for lead‐alloy cooled advanced small modular reactor and wrapped it cylindrically from the outside to form an annular passage, was designed for the forced circulation of liquid LBE taking into account its internal space and the high operating temperature of 440°C. Design variable analysis provided the optimized geometric and electromagnetic parameters of the MHD driving system based on the electromagnetic characteristics in the coolant passage of the reactor. This forced cooling system concept based on MHD propulsion is structurally simple and will enable significant space reduction and increased power for small modular lead fast reactors. It was also determined that safe long‐term reactor operation could be ensured without requiring particular maintenance because the operation does not involve fluid contact.

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Stability boundary analysis of magnetohydrodynamic circulator for the intermediate heat transfer system of prototype gen IV sodium fast reactor

Kwak

Kim

2019

Int J Energy Res

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Summary One of the most important parts in the development of generation IV nuclear reactors is safety. In the research on generation IV sodium‐cooled fast reactors, magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) circulators have received attention for the stable transport of coolants. In this study, the stability of an MHD circulator was evaluated using a mathematical approach to obtain the critical value of the developed pressure. The critical developed pressure equation is a function of the flow rate and dimensionless parameters, which were derived from the theoretical model of the MHD circulator with a dimensionless scaled velocity, flow rate, and pressure. The stability conditions expressed using the critical value of the developed pressure and dimensionless parameters were investigated according to the changes in the main design variables of the MHD circulator. The relationships between the dimensionless parameters, stability, and main design variables constituting the stability boundary of the MHD circulator were analysed. The stability of the MHD circulator is considered safe when the stability criterion ε is lower than 1. The geometrical variables such as the duct thickness or width of the flow gap and electrical variables such as the frequency were the main parameters affecting the flow stability in the MHD circulator.

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Electromagnetic Pumps for Main Cooling Systems of Commercialized Sodium-Cooled Fast Reactor

Cited by 20 publications

References 10 publications

Core design of long‐cycle small modular lead‐cooled fast reactor

Core design of long‐cycle small modular lead‐cooled fast reactor

Development of innovative reactor-integrated coolant system design concept for a small modular lead fast reactor

Stability boundary analysis of magnetohydrodynamic circulator for the intermediate heat transfer system of prototype gen IV sodium fast reactor

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