ATF Solutions to Light Water-Cooled SMRs

适用于轻型水冷 SMR 的 ATF 解决方案

• 批准号: EP/X011313/1
• 负责人: Eugene Shwageraus
• 金额: $ 69.22万
• 依托单位: University of Cambridge
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2023 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=EP%2FX011313%2F1
• 关键词: ATF; Solutions; Light; Water; Cooled

This project is a collaborative effort between universities, a national laboratory, and industry partners across the US and UK. The project aims to assess the benefits and implications of using Accident-Tolerant (or Advanced Technology) Fuels, or ATFs, in a variety of Small Modular Reactor (SMR) designs. ATFs have the potential to significantly improve safety and economic performance of reactors. The increased safety margin that they offer can be translated into either more straightforward and short licencing process, and relaxation of requirements on safety equipment, or substantial power uprate, or both - all ultimately leading to cost savings. Multiple ATF concepts have been proposed in recent years, offering a range of potential performance improvements. Their technology readiness level, however, also varies widely - from conceptual ideas to nearly commercially available products already being marketed to the industry. SMR designs are equally diverse. Even though they may share many features of Light Water Reactor technology, they differ substantially in size, coolant circulation driving force (natural or forced convection), arrangement of primary coolant loop components (integral or loop), approach to reactivity control etc. Therefore, the benefits ATFs can offer if used in these SMRs will differ. The main objective of this project is to quantify these benefits for a subset of promising SMR-ATF combinations. UK Government have committed significant financial support to the development of SMR technology proposed by Rolls-Royce as part of its overall net-zero decarbonisation strategy. Furthermore, substantial expertise in nuclear fuel manufacturing and other fuel cycle services are considered strategic assets for the UK. The UK research team contributing to this project in partnership with Rolls-Royce and Westinghouse-Springfields will focus on the analysis of ATF options applied to the UK-based Rolls-Royce SMR. We will assess and compare the ATF options with respect to their in-core neutronic and thermal-hydraulic behaviour under normal operation, transients, and accident conditions, as well as compare their effects on the back end of the fuel cycle. This project will help to guide the future Rolls-Royce SMR and ATF development effort both nationally and internationally.

该项目是美国和英国的大学，国家实验室和行业合作伙伴之间的合作努力。该项目旨在评估在各种小型模块化反应堆（SMR）设计中使用事故容忍（或先进技术）燃料或ATF的好处和影响。ATF具有显著提高反应堆安全性和经济性的潜力。它们提供的增加的安全裕度可以转化为更直接和更短的许可证颁发过程，以及放宽对安全设备的要求，或大幅提高功率，或两者兼而有之-所有这些最终都会节省成本。近年来提出了多种ATF概念，提供了一系列潜在的性能改进。然而，它们的技术准备程度也有很大的不同-从概念性想法到已经向工业界销售的几乎可以商用的产品。SMR设计同样多样。尽管它们可能共享轻水反应堆技术的许多特征，但它们在尺寸、冷却剂循环驱动力（自然或强制对流）、一回路冷却剂回路部件（整体或回路）的布置、反应性控制方法等方面存在很大差异。因此，如果在这些SMR中使用ATF，则ATF可以提供的益处也会有所不同。本项目的主要目标是量化这些好处的一个子集有前途的SMR-ATF组合。英国政府已承诺为罗尔斯·罗伊斯提出的SMR技术的开发提供重大财政支持，作为其整体净零脱碳战略的一部分。此外，核燃料制造和其他燃料循环服务方面的大量专门知识被视为联合王国的战略资产。英国研究团队与罗尔斯·罗伊斯和Westinghouse-Springfields合作，为该项目做出贡献，将重点分析适用于英国罗尔斯·罗伊斯SMR的ATF选项。我们将评估和比较ATF的选择，在正常运行，瞬态和事故条件下，他们的核心中子和热工水力行为，以及比较其对燃料循环后端的影响。该项目将有助于指导未来劳斯莱斯SMR和ATF在国内和国际上的开发工作。