| Abstract: | To alleviate the economic problems of the modular pebble bed high temperature reactor, its design was modified in such a way that the power output was increased from 200 to 350 MWth. The core geometry was changed from cylindrical to annular, and the pressure vessel diameter was increased to 6.7 m. Control rods are placed in both the outer reflector and the graphite central column. In a safety analysis, loss of heat sink, loss of coolant and water ingress accident were examined. Reactor shutdown and decay heat removal take place passively, and the maximum fuel temperature stays theoreticallybelow 1600 °C, implying full retention of the fission products in the fuel elements. The central column has a diminishing effect on the positive reactivity effect of water ingress. A cost analysis shows that the specific investment costs of a four-module plant would decrease by 26% and the electricity generating costs would reduce by 19%. |
