JSFR key technology evaluation on fuel handling system

A simplified fuel handling system design for the demonstration Japan sodium-cooled fast reactor (JSFR) has been proposed. Fast Reactor Cycle Technology Development project phase I results of key technology evaluations on a pantograph fuel handling machine (FHM), a fuel transfer pot with two core component positions, dry spent fuel cleaning and minor actinide-bearing fresh fuel shipping cask are summarized. A full-scale FHM mockup has been fabricated and tested in the air accumulating performance and seismic tolerance data. A mockup fuel transfer pot with fins and chromium carbide coating has been fabricated and tested with sodium accumulating heat transfer performance data. Several sodium cleaning tests using a dummy subassembly has been conducted accumulating cleaning performance data. For fresh fuel shipping cask, a design tool for evaluation of heat transfer capability has been developed and a helium gas cask shows cooling capability of minor actinide-bearing fresh fuel. Those experimental and analytical efforts have shown that key technologies to develop simplified fuel handling system are matured enough to proceed large-scale sodium experiments and conceptual design study for the demonstration JSFR.     

Progress on the Plant Design Concept of Sodium-Cooled Fast Reactor

An innovative concept of sodium-cooled fast reactor, named JAEA Sodium Cooled FR (JSFR) has been created and modified through the Feasibility Study on Commercialized FR Cycle System, aiming at full satisfaction of the development targets. A modified concept of JSFR applied double-wall straight tube type steam generator (SG) which is excelling in safety for sodium-water reaction has been developed. In addition, decay heat removal system suitable for the straight tube SG has been selected and in-service inspection and repair capabilities have been improved. As the result of this study, the potential to realize this plant concept has been obtained through evaluation concerning safety and economics.     

池式研究堆回路系统总体配置分析

池式研究堆的回路系统配置存在一定的共性,对于相同的堆型,大部分回路配置是可相互借鉴的.通过对国内外几座池式研究堆(法国ORPHEE堆、德国FRM-Ⅱ、韩国HANARO堆、中国先进研究堆(CARR))的回路总体配置情况进行比较,分析其各自的特点,归纳出池式研究堆回路总体配置分为4个部分:与堆芯冷却相关的系统、与重水相关的系统、与池水相关的系统及辅助系统.     

SADHANA facility for simulation of natural convection in the SGDHR system of PFBR

The Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) is a 500 MWe sodium cooled pool type fast reactor being constructed at Kalpakkam, India. PFBR has all the reactor components immersed in the pool of sodium and the fission heat generated in the core, is removed by the sodium circulating in the pool. During normal operation this fission heat is transferred by primary sodium to secondary sodium, which in turn transfers the heat to water in the steam generator for producing steam. The removal of the decay heat generated in the reactor core after the reactor shutdown is also very important to maintain the structural integrity of reactor core components. PFBR employs two independent systems namely, Operational Grade Decay Heat Removal system (OGDHRS) and Safety Grade Decay Heat Removal System (SGDHRS) for decay heat removal. SGDHR system is a passive system working on natural convection to ensure the core coolability even under station blackout condition. It is very important to study the thermal hydraulic behavior of Safety Grade Decay Heat Removal system of PFBR to ensure its reliable operation. A scaled down model of the circuit, named SADHANA has been modeled, designed, constructed and commissioned for demonstration and evaluation of these systems. The facility has completed around 2000 h of high temperature operation. The performance of the experimental system is satisfactory and it meets all the design requirements. At 550 °C sodium pool temperature in test vessel the secondary sodium loop generated a sodium flow of 6.7 m³/h. These experiments have revealed the adequacy and capability of SGDHR system to remove the decay heat from the fast breeder reactor core after its shutdown.     

Evaluation of recriticality behavior in the material-relocation phase for Japan sodium-cooled fast reactor

As the most promising concept of sodium-cooled fast reactors, the Japan Atomic Energy Agency has selected the advanced loop-type fast reactor, so-called Japan sodium-cooled fast reactor (JSFR). Through the evaluation of event progressions during hypothetical core-disruptive accident (CDA) under the design extension condition, a CDA scenario for JSFR has been evaluated. It has already been demonstrated that in-vessel retention (IVR) against CDA could be achieved by taking adequate design measures under best estimate conditions.

The whole sequence of CDA scenario for JSFR was categorized into four phases according to the progress of core-disruption status. In the third phase, so-called material-relocation phase, the accident events would progress in the subcritical state. However, if the uncertainties about the molten state of core remnant and their discharge behavior outward from core are conservatively superposed, the disrupted core may lead up to recriticality.

In the present study, the factors leading to recriticality in the material-relocation phase were investigated using the phenomenological diagrams, and the recriticality behaviors were evaluated through parametric analyses using SIMMER-III/IV codes. The results of parametric analyses suggested that a significant mechanical energy leading to the boundary failure of reactor vessel would not be released even assuming recriticality due to the uncertainties about molten state and discharge behavior. Through the present evaluation of the hypothetical recriticality event, the CDA scenario for JSFR could obtain further robustness from the viewpoint of achieving IVR.     

Safety Strategy of JSFR Eliminating Severe Recriticality Events and Establishing In-Vessel Retention in the Core Disruptive Accident

In the Japan Sodium Cooled Fast Reactor (JSFR) design, elimination of severe power burst events in the Core Disruptive Accident (CDA) is intended as an effective measure to ensure retention of the core materials within the reactor vessel. The design strategy is to control the potential of excessive void reactivity insertion in the initiating phase by selecting appropriate design parameters such as maximum void reactivity on one hand, and to exclude core-wide molten-fuel-pool formation, which has been the main issue of CDA, by introducing an inner duct on the other hand. The effectiveness of these measures is evaluated based on existing experimental data and computer simulation with validated analytical tools. It is judged that the present JSFR design can exclude severe power burst events. Phenomenological consideration of general characteristics and preliminary evaluations for the long-term material relocation and cooling phases gave the perspective that in-vessel retention would be attained with appropriate design measures.     

钠冷快堆二回路系统热工水力瞬态分析程序SELTAC的开发与应用

针对钠冷快堆二回路系统的具体结构和运行特点,对中间热交换器、直流蒸汽发生器、钠缓冲罐以及泵、管道等设备和部件建立模型,采用FORTRAN语言自主编制了二回路系统热工水力瞬态分析程序SELTAC。利用中国实验快堆的停堆试验数据对所编制程序进行了初步验证。结果表明,程序计算值与试验值趋势一致,最大相对偏差不超过4.34%,吻合程度较好。将验证后的程序与一回路系统程序耦合,分析了某600 MW钠冷快堆在主热传输系统保持排热能力时的紧急停堆工况,得到了二回路系统的瞬态特性,为大型商用快堆电站的设计提供了参考。     

池式快堆系统分析软件稳态功能开发

针对目前我国快堆系统分析软件主要采用国外引进方式而导致难以掌握核心物理模型的现状,以中国实验快堆(CEFR)为研究和建模对象,基于中子动力学模型、堆芯及其热钠池模型、中间热交换器模型、一回路和中间回路热量传输系统模型、三回路模型等,自主开发了基于CompaqVisualFortran(CVF)的适用于稳态计算的池式快堆系统分析软件SAC-CFR。通过与中国实验快堆安全分析报告中数据进行对比,验证了所开发模型的精度,为下一步瞬态模型的开发及控制和保护系统的开发做准备。     

Experimental studies on the upward fuel discharge for elimination of severe recriticality during core-disruptive accidents in sodium-cooled fast reactors

In order to eliminate the energetic potential in the case of postulated core-disruptive accidents (CDAs) of sodium-cooled fast reactors, introduction of a fuel subassembly with an inner-duct structure (FAIDUS) has been considered. Recently, a design option of FAIDUS which leads molten fuel to upward discharge has been considered as the reference core design of the Japan Sodium-Cooled Fast Reactor (JSFR). In this study, a series of experiments which consisted of three out-of-pile tests and one in-pile test were conducted to obtain experimental knowledge of the upward discharge of molten fuel. Experimental data which showed a sequence of upward fuel discharge and effects of initial pressure conditions on upward discharge were obtained through the out-of-pile and in-pile test. Preliminary extrapolation of the present results to the supposed condition in the early phase of the CDA in the JSFR design suggests that the sufficient upward flow rate of molten fuel is expected to prevent the core melting from progressing beyond the fuel subassembly scale and that the upward discharge option will be effective in eliminating the energetic potential.     

铅冷快增殖堆物理和热工水力研究

对25MW电功率铅冷快增殖堆堆芯进行了物理和热工水力概算，并将计算结果与相同功率的钠冷快增殖堆的结果进行了分析比较。从初步概算的结果来看，铅冷快增殖堆是一种安全可行的快增殖堆堆型。     

Natural circulation characteristics of lead-based reactor under long-term decay heat removal

The natural circulation of primary coolant plays an important role in removing the decay heat in Station-Black-out (SBO) accident from reactor core to decay heat removal systems, such as RVACS and PHXS cooling, for lead-based reactor. In order to study the natural circulation characteristics of primary coolant under Reactor Vessel Air Cooling System (RVACS) and primary heat exchangers (PHXs) cooling, which are crucial to the safety of lead-based reactors. A three-dimensional CFD model for the China Lead-based Research Reactor (CLEAR-I) has been built to analyze the thermal-hydraulics characteristics of primary coolant system and the cooling capability of the two systems. The abilities of the two cooling systems with different decay heat powers were discussed as well. The results demonstrated that the decay heat could be removed effectively only relying on either of the two systems. However, RVACS appeared the obvious thermal stratification phenomenon in the cold pool. Besides, with the increase in decay heat power, the natural circulation capacity of primary coolant between the two systems had a significant difference. The PHXs cooling system was stronger than the RVACS, with respect to the mass flow of primary coolant and the average temperature difference between cold pool and hot pool.     

A scenario of core disruptive accident for Japan sodium-cooled fast reactor to achieve in-vessel retention

As the most promising concept of sodium-cooled fast reactors, the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) has selected the advanced loop-type fast reactor, so-called JSFR. The safety design requirements of JSFR for Design Extension Condition (DEC) are the prevention of severe accidents and the mitigation of severe-accident consequences. For the mitigation of severe-accident consequences, in particular, the In-Vessel Retention (IVR) against postulated Core Disruptive Accidents (CDAs) is required. In order to investigate the sufficiency of these safety requirements, a CDA scenario should be constructed, in which the elimination of power excursion and the in-vessel cooling of degraded core materials are evaluated so as to achieve IVR. In the present study, the factors leading to IVR failure were identified by creating phenomenological diagrams, and the effectiveness of design measures against them were evaluated based on experimental data and computer simulations. This is an unprecedented approach to the construction of a CDA scenario, and is an effective method to objectively investigate the factors leading to IVR failure and the design measures against them. It was concluded that mechanical/thermal failures of the reactor vessel due to power-excursion/thermal-load could be avoided by adequate design measures, and a clear vision for achieving IVR was obtained.     

Status of Integrated IHX/Pump Development for JSFR

This paper illuminates the status of research and development on the integrated IHX/Pump concept. The integrated IHX/Pump is the incorporated component of the intermediate heat exchanger (IHX) and the primary pump. Among the innovative technologies of the Japan Sodium-Cooled Fast Reactor (JSFR) in the Fast Reactor Cycle Technology Development (FaCT) project, the integrated IHX/Pump concept is one of the major innovative ideas for plant economy by reducing the amount of material in the primary cooling system and the building volume. This report summarizes the view of the integrated IHX/Pump, a development plan, evaluation methods, and the present test results with the 1/4-scale IHX/Pump test device.     

Thermal-fluid assessment of the design options for reactor vessel cooling in a prismatic core VHTR

The design of the reactor pressure vessel is an important issue in the VHTR design due to its high operating temperature. The extensive experience base in Light Water Reactor makes SA508/533 steel emerge as a strong candidate for the VHTR reactor vessel but requires maintaining the vessel temperature below the ASME code limit. To meet the temperature requirement, three types of vessel cooling options for a prismatic core VHTR are considered: an internal vessel cooling, an external vessel cooling, and an internal insulation. The performances of the vessel cooling options are evaluated by using a system thermo-fluid analysis code and a commercial computational fluid dynamics code during normal operation and accidents. The results suggested that the internal vessel cooling with the modified inlet flow path will be a promising option. The external cooling option does not ensure an effective cooling of the RPV. The insulation option provides an effective reduction of the RPV temperature in the normal and accident conditions but reduces the fuel safety margin during the accidents, requiring careful consideration before the implementation.     

钠冷快堆棒状燃料堆芯子通道分析程序开发及验证

热工水力分析软件的验证是安全审查重点关注的问题。为了实现不同设计软件间的对比验证,本工作开发出具有自主知识产权的钠冷快堆堆芯子通道分析程序SSCFR,进行中国实验快堆（CEFR）全堆芯稳态分析、子通道稳态分析及全堆芯瞬态分析,并将分析结果与CEFR运行和设计值进行对比。结果表明,SSCFR程序的计算结果与CEFR运行值及安全分析报告中的设计计算值符合较好,可用于钠冷快堆后续的软件对比验证及设计计算工作。     

CEFR非对称运行工况的研究

为研究中国实验快堆（CEFR）非对称运行工况,通过快堆系统安全分析程序OASIS及堆芯子通道分析程序COBRA对CEFR单环路运行时堆内的温度以及流量进行了计算。结果表明,CEFR在单环路运行,完好环路一、二次钠泵转速为500 r/min,且事故环路一次钠泵逆止阀开启时,堆芯最多开启在14%的功率水平,以确保反应堆处于安全状态。     

快堆系统分析程序FASYS堆芯分析模块验证

中国原子能科学研究院自主开发了快堆系统分析程序FASYS,已用于中国实验快堆的调试试验分析,目前正用于中国示范快堆的事故分析。FASYS程序包含堆芯分析模块、一二回路模块、事故余热排出系统模块等,其中堆芯分析模块包括点堆、衰变热、反应性反馈、堆芯通道热工水力模型等。本文采用解析解、DINROS程序、SAS4A/SASSYS-1程序验证FASYS程序的点堆模型;采用SAS4A/SASSYS-1程序验证FASYS程序的衰变热、反应性反馈和堆芯通道热工水力模型,各模型的验证结果均符合良好。对FASYS程序堆芯分析模块各模型的计算偏差和整体计算偏差进行评估,为中国示范快堆的事故分析提供参考。     

中国实验快堆平衡循环不倒料优化初步研究

中国实验快堆现有的平衡循环换料方案由专家经验得到。本工作采用自主开发的快堆堆芯燃料管理优化程序,对中国实验快堆平衡循环进行不倒料优化计算,通过与现有的平衡循环换料方案计算结果比较,对快堆堆芯燃料管理程序进行验证,说明现有的平衡循环换料方案是符合设计限值的较优方案,并给出优化的平衡循环不倒料换料方案。本工作结果表明,自主开发的快堆堆芯燃料管理优化程序可成功用于中国实验快堆的平衡循环不倒料优化。     

应用于钠冷快堆的超临界二氧化碳动力转换系统研究

超临界二氧化碳（SCO₂）布雷顿循环由于高效、紧凑和可避免钠水反应等特性而成为钠冷快堆的理想动力转换系统。本文以1 200 MWe大型池式钠冷快堆为系统热源,钠回路温度及热负荷为循环系统运行边界,对比研究了不同SCO₂布雷顿循环系统性能和关键设备性能的变化规律。研究发现,级间冷却再压缩循环与钠冷快堆热源特性匹配性最佳,且循环效率最高（40.7%）。进而研究了不同运行参数对级间冷却再压缩循环效率的影响规律,给出了循环系统效率对各关键影响因素的敏感度,发现循环系统效率对冷端参数的敏感度最强,其次为分流比和透平入口参数,对主压缩机级间压比的敏感度最弱。     

CEFR过热器热流密度对结垢的影响研究与清洗周期评估方法的初步建立

中国实验快堆(CEFR)采用的过热器作为钠-水回路的压力边界,对反应堆安全承担着重要的作用。一旦其传热管汽侧由于结垢腐蚀发生泄漏,将导致严重的钠水反应事故发生。因此对CEFR过热器汽侧结垢规律的研究对快堆安全运行起到至关重要的作用。本文针对不同的水质工况研究过热器的结垢规律,同时还拟合出了相应的结垢速率公式,对过热器的清洗周期提出相应的指导意见,对今后过热器安全稳定运行具有重要意义。