Conceptual Design of an Annular-Fueled Superheat Boiling Water Reactor
The conceptual design of an annular-fueled superheat boiling water reactor (ASBWR) is outlined. The proposed design, ASBWR, combines the boiler and superheater regions into one fuel assembly. This ensures good neutron moderation throughout the reactor core. A single fuel design is used in the cor...
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| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Technical Report |
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Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Center for Advanced Nuclear Energy Systems. Advanced Nuclear Power Program
2012
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/75281 |
| _version_ | 1826188074855432192 |
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| author | Ko, Yu-Chih Kazimi, Mujid S. |
| author2 | Advanced Nuclear Power Technology Program (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) |
| author_facet | Advanced Nuclear Power Technology Program (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) Ko, Yu-Chih Kazimi, Mujid S. |
| author_sort | Ko, Yu-Chih |
| collection | MIT |
| description | The conceptual design of an annular-fueled superheat boiling water reactor (ASBWR) is
outlined. The proposed design, ASBWR, combines the boiler and superheater regions into
one fuel assembly. This ensures good neutron moderation throughout the reactor core. A
single fuel design is used in the core. Each annular fuel element, or fuel tube, is cooled
externally by boiling water and internally by steam. Fuel pellets are made of low enrichment
UO2, somewhat higher than the traditional BWR fuel enrichment. T91 and Inconel 718 are
selected as candidates for the cladding material in view of their excellent physical properties
and corrosion resistance. The fuel-cladding gap is filled with pressurized helium gas, like
the existing lighter water reactor fuels. The ASBWR fuel assembly contains sixty annular
fuel elements and one square water rod (occupying a space of four fuel elements) in an 8 by
8 square array. Annular separators and steam dryers are utilized and located above the core
in the reactor vessel. Reactor internal pumps are used to adjust the core flow rate. Cruciform
control rods are used to control the reactivity of the core, but more of them may be needed
than a traditional BWR in view of the harder spectrum.
The major design constraints have been identified and evaluated in this work. The ASBWR
is found promising to achieve a power density of 50 kW/L and meet all the main safety
requirements. This includes a limit on the minimum critical heat flux ratio, maximum fuel
and cladding operating temperatures, and appropriate stability margin against density wave
oscillations.
At the expected superheated steam of 520 °C, the plant efficiency is above 40%, which is
substantially greater than the efficiency of 33 to 35% that today’s generation of LWRs can
achieve. In addition to generating electricity, the ASBWR may also be useful for liquid fuel
production or other applications that require high temperature steam.
The uncertainties about this design include the performance of cladding materials under
irradiation, the attainment of desirable heat transfer ratio between the external andinternal
coolant channels throughout the fuel cycle, and the response to the traditional transients
prescribed as design basis events. |
| first_indexed | 2024-09-23T07:54:12Z |
| format | Technical Report |
| id | mit-1721.1/75281 |
| institution | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| last_indexed | 2024-09-23T07:54:12Z |
| publishDate | 2012 |
| publisher | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Center for Advanced Nuclear Energy Systems. Advanced Nuclear Power Program |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | mit-1721.1/752812019-04-09T15:24:32Z Conceptual Design of an Annular-Fueled Superheat Boiling Water Reactor Ko, Yu-Chih Kazimi, Mujid S. Advanced Nuclear Power Technology Program (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) Ko, Yu-Chih Kazimi, Mujid S. The conceptual design of an annular-fueled superheat boiling water reactor (ASBWR) is outlined. The proposed design, ASBWR, combines the boiler and superheater regions into one fuel assembly. This ensures good neutron moderation throughout the reactor core. A single fuel design is used in the core. Each annular fuel element, or fuel tube, is cooled externally by boiling water and internally by steam. Fuel pellets are made of low enrichment UO2, somewhat higher than the traditional BWR fuel enrichment. T91 and Inconel 718 are selected as candidates for the cladding material in view of their excellent physical properties and corrosion resistance. The fuel-cladding gap is filled with pressurized helium gas, like the existing lighter water reactor fuels. The ASBWR fuel assembly contains sixty annular fuel elements and one square water rod (occupying a space of four fuel elements) in an 8 by 8 square array. Annular separators and steam dryers are utilized and located above the core in the reactor vessel. Reactor internal pumps are used to adjust the core flow rate. Cruciform control rods are used to control the reactivity of the core, but more of them may be needed than a traditional BWR in view of the harder spectrum. The major design constraints have been identified and evaluated in this work. The ASBWR is found promising to achieve a power density of 50 kW/L and meet all the main safety requirements. This includes a limit on the minimum critical heat flux ratio, maximum fuel and cladding operating temperatures, and appropriate stability margin against density wave oscillations. At the expected superheated steam of 520 °C, the plant efficiency is above 40%, which is substantially greater than the efficiency of 33 to 35% that today’s generation of LWRs can achieve. In addition to generating electricity, the ASBWR may also be useful for liquid fuel production or other applications that require high temperature steam. The uncertainties about this design include the performance of cladding materials under irradiation, the attainment of desirable heat transfer ratio between the external andinternal coolant channels throughout the fuel cycle, and the response to the traditional transients prescribed as design basis events. U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Masdar Institute of Science and Technology 2012-12-06T21:25:11Z 2012-12-06T21:25:11Z 2010-10 Technical Report http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/75281 MIT-ANP;TR-130 application/pdf Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Center for Advanced Nuclear Energy Systems. Advanced Nuclear Power Program |
| spellingShingle | Ko, Yu-Chih Kazimi, Mujid S. Conceptual Design of an Annular-Fueled Superheat Boiling Water Reactor |
| title | Conceptual Design of an Annular-Fueled Superheat Boiling Water Reactor |
| title_full | Conceptual Design of an Annular-Fueled Superheat Boiling Water Reactor |
| title_fullStr | Conceptual Design of an Annular-Fueled Superheat Boiling Water Reactor |
| title_full_unstemmed | Conceptual Design of an Annular-Fueled Superheat Boiling Water Reactor |
| title_short | Conceptual Design of an Annular-Fueled Superheat Boiling Water Reactor |
| title_sort | conceptual design of an annular fueled superheat boiling water reactor |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/75281 |
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