Evaluating the Uncertainty in the Temperature Reactivity Coefficient of Terrestrial Energy's Integral Molten Salt Reactor Design

评估陆地能源整体熔盐堆设计温度反应系数的不确定性

• 批准号: 508803-2017
• 负责人: Buijs, Adriaan
• 金额: $ 1.82万
• 依托单位: McMaster University
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Engage Grants Program
• 财政年份: 2017
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2017-01-01 至 2018-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=640031
• 关键词: Evaluating; Uncertainty; Temperature; Reactivity; Coefficient

Terrestrial Energy of Oakville, Ontario has recently received a major award from Sustainable DevelopmentTechnology Canada, allowing it to proceed with the development of its promising novel nuclear reactor design,the Integral Molten Salt Reactor (IMSR). This reactor has a number of features which places it well in thecurrent global electricity market, from the perspectives of cost, size, maintainability and safety.One of the outstanding features of this reactor design is its inherent safety. As the nuclear fuel is dissolved inmolten salts, there is no possibility for a core meltdown. Also, by design, the reactor has a negative reactivitycoefficient of temperature. This means that an inherent feedback mechanism will shut down the chain reactionin the core when the temperature of the core rises, as may happen under hypothetical accident conditions.The reactivity coefficient of temperature is a consequence of the nuclear-physics processes that take place inthe core and govern the creation and absorption of neutrons in the chain reaction. It is a relatively small effectarising from the difference of competing effects, which for the IMSR was determined to be negative over thelifetime of the reactor.The study proposed here will determine the uncertainty in the value of the reactivity coefficient of temperaturefor the IMSR, which is essential to establish the margin of safety for reactor operation over its lifetime. Thestudy will use state-of-the-art modelling tools developed internationally for nuclear safety analysis. In additionto calculations for the proposed fuel composition, the study will also be applied to a number of alternate fuelcompositions.The study proposed here is an essential contribution to demonstrating the inherent safety features of the design.

安大略奥克维尔的陆地能源公司最近获得了加拿大可持续发展技术部颁发的一项重大奖项，使其能够继续开发其有前途的新型核反应堆设计，即整体熔盐反应堆（IMSR）。从成本、尺寸、可维护性和安全性的角度来看，该反应堆具有许多特点，使其在当前的全球电力市场中处于良好地位。该反应堆设计的突出特点之一是其固有的安全性。由于核燃料溶解在熔盐中，因此不可能发生堆芯熔毁。此外，通过设计，反应器具有负的温度反应系数。这意味着当堆芯温度升高时，一种内在的反馈机制将关闭堆芯的链式反应，就像在假设的事故条件下可能发生的那样。温度的反应性系数是堆芯中发生的核物理过程的结果，它控制着链式反应中中子的产生和吸收。这是一个相对较小的影响，从竞争效应的差异，这对于IMSR被确定为负的thelifetime.The研究建议在这里将确定的不确定性值的反应性系数的温度IMSR，这是必不可少的，以建立安全裕度的反应堆运行在其寿命。这项研究将使用国际上为核安全分析开发的最先进的建模工具。除了对建议的燃料成分进行计算外，这项研究还将应用于一些替代燃料成分。这里建议的研究是对证明设计的固有安全特性的重要贡献。