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Conference Spotlight
Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
September 8–11, 2025
Atlanta, GA|Atlanta Marriott Marquis
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New coolants, new fuels: A new generation of university reactors
Here’s an easy way to make aging U.S. power reactors look relatively youthful: Compare them (average age: 43) with the nation’s university research reactors. The 25 operating today have been licensed for an average of about 58 years.
M. F. Kennedy, A. B. Reynolds
Nuclear Technology | Volume 20 | Number 3 | December 1973 | Pages 149-160
Technical Paper | Reactor | doi.org/10.13182/NT73-A31354
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Calculational models were developed for estimating the transport of sodium vapor and the relatively large (≥10-µm) fuel particles resulting from a fuel-coolant interaction to the secondary containment in an LMFBR core disruptive accident. Following the formation of a large sodium vapor bubble resulting from a fuel-coolant interaction, a potential sequence of events was analyzed. This analysis covers bubble condensation, bubble rise time, aerosol fallout during the bubble rise, gas flow rate through the cover, cover-gas escape during the bubble rise, bubble and cover-gas mixing, and aerosol escape to the secondary containment. Two parametric calculations were made for specified accident conditions for a 1000-MW(e) LMFBR conceptual design. The bubble did not condense in this analysis. Results of the analysis indicated that 2 and 10% of the fuel that took part in the fuel-coolant interaction eventually reached the secondary containment for the two assumed flow areas through the cover, i.e., 0.1 and 1.0 ft2, respectively.