Analysis of Coolant Options for Advanced Metal Cooled Nuclear Reactors

Abstract

It is well known that any neutron-producing device generates induced radioactivity as a by-product of its operation. In the case of nuclear reactors, the induced radioactivity includes fission and activation products. The overall focus of this study is the build up of induced radioactivity in the coolant of metal cooled reactors as well as the evaluation of other physical and chemical properties of such coolants. The objectives of the thesis are two fold. The first objective is to independently calculate the generation of Polonium-210 in reactors cooled by lead and lead-bismuth eutectic. The motivation for this is to address a noted lack of consensus among the world researchers on the significance of Po-210 build up in lead cooled reactors. The second objective is to evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of selected candidate metal coolants. In addressing both objectives, the computer code ORIGEN was used. To establish the background basis for these assessments, fundamental concepts of reactor physics are reviewed and discussed.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Dec 01, 2006
Accession Number
ADA462364

Entities

People

  • Levent Can

Organizations

  • Naval Postgraduate School

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Ground and Sea Platforms

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Chemical Elements
  • Chemical Properties
  • Chemical Reactions
  • Computers
  • Energy Production
  • Heat Transfer
  • Material Degradation Processes
  • Nuclear Energy
  • Nuclear Physics
  • Nuclear Reactions
  • Nuclear Reactors
  • Physical Properties
  • Radioactive Decay
  • Radioactivity
  • Thermal Conductivity
  • Thermal Neutrons
  • Thermophysical Properties

Readers

  • Nuclear and Radiation Engineering.
  • Systems Analysis and Design