ELECTRA: European Lead-Cooled Training Reactor

The design of a low-power fast neutron reactor cooled by liquid lead (ELECTRA) is presented. Application of (Pu,Zr)N fuel permits the design of a core with very small volume and fuel column height, resulting in highly negative coolant, fuel, and structure temperature coefficients and very low channel pressure drop. Full design power of 0.5 MW(thermal) may be completely removed by natural circulation in the primary circuit, thus eliminating the need for pumps. Analysis of flow stability and performance under unprotected transients show that the suggested design is very safe, supporting its intended use for training and educational purposes.