Integral neutronics experiments in analytical mockups for blanket of a hybrid reactor

The paper describes recent progress in integral neutronics experiments in the analytical mockups for the blanket in a fusion-fission hybrid energy reactor. A conceptual blanket of the hybrid reactor is mainly loaded with natural uranium and lithium material. In the fission fuel region, uranium material and light water are arranged alternately. The mockups of the conceptual blanket are designed and used for checking neutron property of the blanket by integral experiments. Based on materials available, the spherical fission mockup for fission research and plutonium production consists of three layers of depleted uranium shells and several layers of polyethylene and graphite shells. The spherical lithium mockup for tritium production consists of depleted uranium and LiPb alloy shells. The cubic mockup consists of natural uranium and polyethylene and its structure is basically consistent with one of the fuel region. In the mockups with the D-T neutron source, the plutonium production rates, uranium fission rates and tritium production rates are measured, separately. The measured results are compared to the calculated ones with MCNP-4B code and ENDF/B-VI library data.     

Burnup calculations of light water-cooled pressure tube blanket for a fusion-fission hybrid reactor

A fusion-fission hybrid reactor (FFHR) with pressure tube blanket has recently been proposed based on an ITER-type tokamak fusion neutron source and the well-developed pressurized water cooling technologies. In this paper, detailed burnup calculations are carried out on an updated blanket. Two different blankets respectively fueled with the spent nuclear fuel (SNF) discharged from light water reactors (LWRs) or natural uranium oxide is investigated. In the first case, a three-batch out-to-in refueling strategy is designed. In the second case, some SNF assemblies are loaded into the blanket to help achieve tritium self-sufficiency. And a three-batch in-to-out refueling strategies is adopted to realize direct use of natural uranium oxide fuel in the blanket. The results show that only about 80 tonnes of SNF or natural uranium are needed every 1500 EFPD (Equivalent Full Power Day) with a 3000 MWth output and tritium self-sufficiency (TBR > 1.15), while the required maximum fusion powers are lower than 500 MW for both the two cases. Based on the proposed refueling strategies, the uranium utilization rate can reach about 4.0%.     

聚变裂变混合发电堆水冷包层热工水力学设计分析

一种以能量倍增为目标的聚变裂变混合发电堆(FDS-EM)概念已被提出,FDS-EM初步设计为可以产生约1.0 GW的电功率,并能实现氚自持。本文对FDS-EM水冷包层进行了热工水力学设计与分析。设计采用了压水堆的成熟技术,并给出了典型的热工设计参数,通过对典型参数下包层的数值模拟分析,得出了温度场和应力场分布,初步证明了设计的工程可行性。     

聚变裂变混合发电堆水冷包层中子学设计分析

主要针对聚变裂变混合发电堆FDS-EM水冷包层的能量倍增因子M和氚增殖率TBR等中子学参数进行优化计算。FDS-EM包层主要设计目标是在氚自持的基础上获得约1 GW的电功率,并且尽可能长时间连续运行不换料。通过初步设计分析给出一个使用核废料(压水堆卸出的废料钚、锕系加上贫铀)作为裂变燃料,能够实现氚自持、能量倍增因子约为90等设计目标,且连续运行至少10年不换料的中子学方案。     

多功能聚变裂变混合实验堆FDS-MFX氦冷包层三维中子学初步设计与分析

FDS-MFX(Multi-Functional eXperimental fusion-fission hybrid reactor)是一个基于现实可行技术的多功能聚变裂变混合实验堆概念,分3个阶段相继开展实验研究,分别采用纯氚增殖包层、铀燃料包层和乏燃料包层.本文重点对其中铀燃料包层后期阶段中高浓缩铀模块的摆放方式...     

A cost/benefit analysis of commercial fusion-fission hybrid reactor development

A simple algorithm was developed that allows rapid computation of the ratio,R, of present worth of benefits to present worth of hybrid R&D program costs as a function of potential hybrid unit electricity cost savings, discount rate, electricity demand growth rate, total hybrid R&D program cost, and time to complete a demonstration reactor. In the sensitivity study, these variables were assigned nominal values (unit electricity cost savings of 4 mills/kW-hr, discount rate of 4%/year, growth rate of 2.25%/year, total R&D program cost of $20 billion, and time to complete a demonstration reactor of 30 years), and the variable of interest was varied about its nominal value. Results show thatR increases with decreasing discount rate and increasing unit electricity savings and ranges from 4 to 94 as discount rate ranges from 5 to 3%/year and unit electricity savings range from 2 to 6 mills/kW-hr.R increases with increasing growth rate and ranges from 3 to 187 as growth rate ranges from 1 to 3.5%/year and unit electricity cost savings range from 2 to 6 mills/kW-hr.R attains a maximum value when plotted against time to complete a demonstration reactor. The location of this maximum value occurs at shorter completion times as discount rate increases, and this optimal completion time ranges from 20 years for a discount rate of 4%/year to 45 years for a discount rate of 3%/year.The views expressed in this paper are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. Department of Energy.     

基于GDT的聚变裂变混合堆堆芯参数初步设计研究

基于Gas Dynamic Trap(GDT)装置的实验进展,提出了用于驱动聚变裂变混合堆包层的聚变堆芯参数设计。基于零维堆芯物理模型,计算分析给出了一套聚变功率为50MW的初步堆芯参数方案。利用GDT装置的实验结果对该物理模型进行计算对比校验,显示该物理模型和设计参数的可靠性。     

反应堆冷中子源中子物理学计算

用MCNP软件计算反应堆冷中子源,慢化剂室内平均中子注量率为6.69× 1013/cm-2.s-1,波长为0.4 nm和0.6 nm的冷中子增益因子～16和32.冷源慢化剂中正仲氢比例对输出的冷中子能谱有较大影响,而在3K范围内慢化剂温度变化对冷中子能谱的影响很小.计算结果表明,冷中子源性能达到基本设计要求.     

Measurement of absolute reaction rates in Be,Pb and Fe spherical systems

The absolute reaction rates in Be,Pb and Fe have been measured by using the activation foil technique with different reaction energy thresholds.Thicknesses of Be,Pb and Fe spheres were 5.3,19.1 and 31.9cm.respectively,Eight kinds of activation folis were used for Fe,and four kinds each for Be and Pb,The total experimental er5ror was about 5-7%.The measured results were compared to the values calculated with the 1-D ANISN code and the ENDF/B-VI library data.The average ratio of the experimental to the calculational is less than 7% for Be and Pb,about 5-30% for Fe.     

Conceptual design of a small nuclear reactor for large-diameter NTD-Si using short PWR fuel assemblies

A design of a small nuclear reactor for a large-diameter NTD-Si using a conventional Pressurized Water Reactors (PWR) full-length assembly was proposed in previous works. The height of the full-length assembly was 400 cm, and the overall size of the reactor and reflector around the core became large. In addition, the irradiation channel became very long, making handling of the Si ingots in the channel more difficult. The use of a short PWR fuel assembly, with a height of 100 cm, was considered in the current work. With the shorter assembly, the design of the reactor became compact and more practical. Gd₂O₃ and control rods were used to suppress excess reactivity. Criticality, neutron transport, and core burn-up calculations were performed using the MVP/GMVP II code and MVP-BURN code. Steady-state single-channel thermal hydraulic analyses were also performed. The calculation results showed that the reactor could be critical over 1200 days, and that heat removal from core was possible under 1 atm operating pressure. Large-diameter ingot up to 20 cm in height could be doped with sufficient uniformity. The reactor semiconductor production rate was estimated, and varied between 48 tons/year and 70 tons/year for the 50 Ω cm target resistivity depending on the position of the control rod.     

Measurement of neutron spectra through composed material block bombarded with D-T neutrons

A 2-dimensional composed material assembly made of the iron and hydric block has been established. The neutron spectra from the assembly bombarded with 14-MeV neutrons at neutron generator have been obtained using the proton recoil technique with a stillbene detector. The detector positions were selected at the 60°, 120°, 180° on the surface of the iron spherical shell. The background neutron spectra consisted of background and room return radiation were subtracted with combination of methods of experimental shielding and MCNP calculation. The uncertainty of results was 6.3-7.4%. The experiment results were analyzed and simulated by MCNP code and two data library. The difference is integral neutron flux (background neutron subtracted) of measured results greater than calculations with maximum of 21.2% in the range of 1-16 MeV.     

秦山核电厂反应堆燃料组件的流量平衡试验研究

本文描述了对我国第一台自己设计建造的三十万千瓦压水堆核电站采用的燃料组件之间的流量平衡进行了一系列的水力特性试验研究,合理地解决了燃料组件上方四种不同结构部件间的阻力匹配,把燃料组件之间的冷却剂流量偏差调整在1％以内。同时,通过实验改进了阻力塞部件的结构设计,确定了反应堆堆芯上栅格板的开孔尺寸,测定了各种不同形式燃料组件的出口阻力系数,为秦山核电厂反应堆的热工设计和结构设计提供了可靠的实验依据。     

聚变堆氚增殖层中子学分析

D-T聚变堆包层的主要功能包括氚增殖、能量转换射层蔽等,包层中子学设计的主要原则是满足聚变堆的氚自持,一般要求包层氚增殖比TBR＞1.1.使用与时间有关的扩散理论和本征函数展开方法,研究不同几何线度、6Li丰度的LI2O、LiPb包层材料14MeV源下的系统通量、氚增殖比影响,及在不同6Li丰度下6Li、7Li造氚随时间变化的规律.计算中使用了30群截面数据,微观数据来自ENDF/B-VI及JEF-2.2.     

Experimental study on the blowdown load during the steam generator feedwater line break accident in the evolutionary pressurized water reactor

Integral effect tests using the ATLAS facility were performed to obtain the thermal-hydraulic parameters such as dynamic and static pressures, local temperatures, and flow rates during a feedwater line break of a steam generator. The break of a feedwater line was simulated using a double rupture disc assembly in order to satisfy the requirements for the break opening time of around a few milliseconds. In the present study, estimated break opening time was less than 1.5 ms and broken areas were 48.1% and 93.4% of the feedwater line, respectively. The maximum dynamic pressures of about 1.57 bar were obtained inside of feedwater box that was closest to the break location of the feedwater line. After the break of the feedwater line, propagation of the pressure wave along the distance from the break location inside the steam generator was clearly and pertinently observed in all the tests. From a structural integrity point of view, however, the risk induced by this maximum dynamic load could be treated to be insignificant.     

Neutronic optimization for a blanket of the laser fusion reactor,SENRI-I

Neutronic calculations were performed to optimize the SENRI blanket in terms of energy multiplication as well as tritium breeding ratio. The blanket employs a thick ( 64-cm) Li layer as breeder/coolant. Three approaches were taken here to achieve the goal: (1) reduction of⁶Li in the lithium, (ii) replacement of the Li layer by a molten-salt (flibe) layer, and (iii) shipment of excess tritium to a nonbreeding blanket. It was found that the excess tritium produced in the SENRI blanket could be used effectively to obtain additional power by fueling a nonbreeding D-T reactor.