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Introduction
Published in G. Vaidyanathan, Dynamic Simulation of Sodium Cooled Fast Reactors, 2023
Though the feasibility of SFRs was proved with the construction and operation of experimental reactors like Clementine, EBR-I, EBR II, LAMPRE, and Fermi in the USA, BR-5 and BR-10 in Russia, and DFR in the UK, there was no effort to go for commercial SFRs until the 1960s, when it was assessed that the natural uranium resources would not be sufficient to proceed with water reactors. Also, the cost of uranium started to increase. The need was felt to go in for breeders to effectively utilize the natural U238 present. The French had built the 40-MWt RAPSODIE reactor, and the Russians had operated the BOR-60 reactor with power generation in the 1960s. A 250-MWe power reactor PHENIX was commissioned by France in 1973. Around the same time the British commissioned their 250-MWe prototype fast reactor (PFR). The Russians built the BN 350 plant in Kazakhstan. The uniqueness of this plant was that part of its steam generation (~150MWe) was utilized for water desalination. The Germans and Japanese started with their experimental fast reactors KNK and Joyo, respectively, at this time. The USA built a large experimental reactor for testing fuels called the fast flux test facility (FFTF). Then came the BN-600 plant in Russia, followed by a 1200-MWe SUPER PHENIX reactor in France. SUPER PHENIX was built by a consortium of companies from France, Germany, and Italy. The 40-MW fast breeder test reactor (FBTR) was commissioned in 1985 in India. Unfortunately, two reactors, CRBRP in USA and SNR300 in Germany, were built but did not become operational due to political opposition. The SUPER PHENIX reactor plant was shut down after 12 years of operation due to some technical issues and negative political pressure. Japan built and operated a 300-MWe power reactor MONJU. However, due to a sodium leak in the secondary loop after which the plant was shut down, and with the Fukushima accident, the license to restart has been denied. The 1500-MWe European fast reactor (EFR) was designed by France, the UK, and Germany jointly in the 1990s. However, the lack of demand for new power resources and the finding of new natural uranium sources led to the slowing down of the SFR programs in these countries. China started its fast reactor program with the Chinese experimental fast reactor (CEFR) in 2010. Russia commissioned the BN-800 reactor in 2014. Prototype fast reactors built to date are presented in Table 1.2.
Thermal Design and Experimental Verification of Double Helium Gap Conduction Test Facility
Published in Nuclear Science and Engineering, 2021
Hongyi Yang, Song Li, Zhiwei Zhou
The China Experimental Fast Reactor (CEFR) is the first fast reactor in China. The CEFR can be used as an advanced neutron irradiation platform to carry out a variety of core materials and fuel irradiation tests, which provide strong technical support for reactor materials and fuel research and development (R&D). The key issue in establishing fast reactor irradiation technology is to design and develop an irradiation device to meet the requirements of various irradiation tasks. While there are many types of irradiation devices, the CEFR relies mainly on R&D of in-line irradiation devices that can be placed directly into the core to carry out irradiation tests of structural materials and fuels. The first structural material irradiation rig used in the CEFR was designed to carry out an irradiation test for domestically produced fast reactor cladding material. The innovated design of the irradiation rig was based on both CEFR irradiation conditions and the basic configuration of the CEFR fuel assembly. The irradiation rig, which had special sizes of inner gas gaps, could irradiate material samples at different irradiation temperatures (450°C to 600°C) during different powers (40% and 100% rated powers) of CEFR steady-state operation.1
Experimental study on design optimization of the core catcher for the CEFR
Published in Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 2023
Wenpeng Wang, Bin Zhang, Sheng Cao, Jianqiang Shan
The China Experimental Fast Reactor (CEFR) is a pool sodium-cooled fast reactor[10]. In the design, a molten core catcher is equipped on the bottom of the vessel, as shown in Figure 4. The core catcher of the CEFR is composed of a tray and one or more chimneys. Used as the core melting receiver of severe accidents, it can passively export the waste heat of the melt and solidify the molten core fuel in the receiver.