Development of a Subcritical Test Facility

该提案要求为在麦克马斯特大学设计和开发测试亚临界反应堆组件（sra）的设施提供资金，用于未来的小型模块化反应堆设计。建成后，该设施将提供对此类反应堆堆芯物理特性的深入了解和实验验证，并补充申请人长期研究计划的数值模拟组成部分，该计划涵盖当前和未来核反应堆设计的物理特性。在该设施测试的亚临界反应堆组件将构成加拿大几十年来第一个核反应堆的原型。sra预计将是小型模块化反应堆（smr）的部分原型。小型堆是核反应堆设计的最新趋势；它们具有成本效益，可以在工厂组装，并且易于部署。加拿大特别感兴趣的是，它们可能被部署到偏远地区，例如，为加拿大北极社区取代空运石油，为国防的偏远军事设施提供动力，或为偏远采矿作业提供动力。与传统反应堆相比，它们在安全性和操作方面也有显著提高。SMR堆芯的固有反馈机制特别令人感兴趣；例如，燃料温度对堆芯反应性的反馈：当燃料升温时，可能是由于冷却剂的损失，重要的是堆芯的反应性降低，而不是升高。负面反馈可以做到这一点。在现代反应堆设计中，燃料温度反馈等效应是用相当复杂的计算机模型来研究的。然而，反馈系数的确定只能通过在原型中直接测量来获得。该测量不需要在临界条件下的反应堆上进行；亚临界组件将提供相同的实验信息。然而，在这种情况下，必须对组件施加恒定的外部中子源。麦克马斯特有几个可供选择的这种源，例如麦克马斯特核反应堆，D-D聚变源，散裂加速器和Am-241/Be-9源。该项目的短期目标是i)研究设施的可行性（包括支持研究的测量），ii)优化布局，以及iii)为各种可测试的小型堆原型设计设施。长期目标，这是申请人的研究计划的一部分，是实际的组装和执行测量。这一阶段超出了当前提案的范围。本提案中描述的活动是加拿大第一批小型反应堆发展的重要步骤，特别是在许可方面。这些学生将是加拿大第一批接受这项有前途的新技术培训的HQP，如果不是第一批的话。他们将被培养成该领域的领导者。

The proposal requests funds for the design and development of a facility for testing subcritical reactor assemblies (SRAs) at McMaster University for future small modular reactor designs. When constructed, the facility will provide insight in and experimental verification of the physics of such reactor cores and complement the numerical simulation component of the applicant's long-term research program which covers the physics of current and future nuclear reactor designs. The subcritical reactor assemblies tested at the facility will constitute the first prototyping of nuclear reactors in Canada in decades. The SRAs are expected to be partial prototypes of small modular reactors (SMRs). SMRs are the most recent trend in nuclear reactor design; they are cost-effective, can be assembled in a factory, and be easily deployed. The particular interest for Canada is that they may be deployed to remote regions, e.g. to replace air-lifted oil for the Canadian Arctic communities, for powering remote military installations for national defence, or for remote mining operations. They also have significant safety and operation enhancements over traditional reactors. The inherent feedback mechanisms of an SMR core are of particular interest; for example the feedback of the fuel temperature on the reactivity of the core: when the fuel heats up, possibly as result of a loss-of-coolant event, it is important that the core becomes less reactive, not more. Negative feedback will do this. In modern reactor designs, effects such as fuel temperature feedback are studied using rather complex computer models. However, a definitive determination of the feedback coefficient can only be obtained through a direct measurement in a prototype. The measurement does not need to be made on a reactor in critical conditions; a subcritical assembly would provide the same experimental information. However, in that case, a constant external neutron source must be applied to the assembly. There are several options for such a source available at McMaster, such as the McMaster Nuclear Reactor, a D-D fusion source, an accelerator for spallation, and an Am-241/Be-9 source. The short-term goal of the project is i) to study the viability of the facility (including measurements in support of the study), ii) to optimize the layout, and iii) to design the facilities for the various SMR prototypes that can be tested. The long-term objective, which is part of the applicant's research program, is the actual construction of the assembly and performing the measurements. This phase is out of scope of the current proposal. The activities described in this proposal are an essential step in the development of Canada's first SMRs, in particular with regards to licencing. The students will be among the first, if not the first HQP in Canada to be trained in this new, promising technology. They will be set up to become leaders in the field.