Abstract

The European Sodium Fast Reactor Safety Measures Assessment and Research Tools (ESFR-SMART) project offers innovative options for a sodium fast reactor (SFR) to improve its safety. This paper explains the preliminary calculations made on the main options to roughly verify their feasibility. Design propositions and calculations are here provided of the following innovative options: elimination of the safety vessel, innovative decay heat removal systems (DHRS), core catcher, thermal pumps, and secondary loops. In conclusion, all these options seem able to fulfill the key points of new safety rules for Generation-IV reactors. A status of the research and development (R&D) effort necessary to validate these new options is also proposed.

Issue Section:
Next Generation/Advanced Reactors
Topics:
Cooling systems, Design, Heat, Heat transfer, Pumps, Safety, Sodium, Sodium fast reactors, Temperature, Vessels, Reactor vessels, Natural convection, Concretes, Cooling, Pipes

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