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Playing the “bad guy” to enhance next-generation safety
Sometimes, cops and robbers is more than just a kid’s game. At the Department of Energy’s national laboratories, researchers are channeling their inner saboteurs to discover vulnerabilities in next-generation nuclear reactors, making sure that they’re as safe as possible before they’re even constructed.
Sebahattin Ünalan, S. Orhan Akansu, Hanifi Saraç
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 43 | Number 2 | March 2003 | Pages 230-249
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/FST03-A263
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
In an inertial fusion energy (IFE) reactor of 1000-MW(electric) fusion power, 95% flibe and 5% fuel with DRc thickness instead of 100% flibe are used. At startup, the tritium breeding ratio and M-blanket energy multiplication ratio are 1.05 and 1.26 for UF4 and DRc [approximately equal to] 60 cm, respectively. These values increase during an operation period of 30 yr. In 11 yr, M increases from 1.26 to 2 [= 2000 MW(electric)]. After operation of 11 yr, the energy production is stabilized by means of separation of produced plutonium. After 30 yr, displacement per atom (dpa) and helium production in the first wall are calculated as 92 dpa and 590 ppm, respectively. In addition, the cost of electricity values of the HYLIFE-II and the improved HYLIFE-II of 2000 MW(electric) drop from 4.5 and 3.2 ¢/kWh to 4.18 and 3.00 ¢/kWh, respectively. On the other hand, the IFE reactor has the fissile fuel breeding potential of 70 tonnes. The fissile fuel of 45 tonnes corresponding to [approximately equal to]2350 kg/yr would be sufficient to provide makeup fuel for [approximately equal to]10 light water reactors after 11 yr. After the shutdown process, 25 tonnes of fissile fuel with fuel enrichment of 23% would be left over.