Safety-Related Optimization and Analyses of an Innovative Fast Reactor Concept 英文参考文献.docVIP

Sustainability 2012, 4, 1274-1291; doi:10.3390/su4061274 OPEN ACCESS sustainability ISSN 2071-1050 /journal/sustainability Article Safety-Related Optimization and Analyses of an Innovative Fast Reactor Concept Barbara Vezzoni *, Fabrizio Gabrielli, Andrei Rineiski, Marco Marchetti, Xue-Nong Chen, Michael Flad, Werner Maschek, Claudia Matzerath Boccaccini and Dalin Zhang Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen 76344, Germany; E-Mails: fabrizio.gabrielli@ (F.G.); andrei.rineiski@ (A.R.); marco.marchetti@ (M.M.); xue-nong.chen@ (X.-N.C.); michael.flad@ (M.F.); werner.maschek@ (W.M.); claudia.matzerath@ (C.M.B.); dalin.zhang@ (D.Z.) * Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mail: barbara.vezzoni@; Tel.: +49-721-608-22446; Fax: +49-721-608-23824. Received: 4 May 2012; in revised form: 11 June 2012 / Accepted: 12 June 2012 / Published: 15 June 2012 Abstract: Since a fast reactor core with uranium-plutonium fuel is not in its most reactive configuration under operating conditions, redistribution of the core materials (fuel, steel, sodium) during a core disruptive accident (CDA) may lead to recriticalities and as a consequence to severe nuclear power excursions. The prevention, or at least the mitigation, of core disruption is therefore of the utmost importance. In the current paper, we analyze an innovative fast reactor concept developed within the CP-ESFR European project, focusing on the phenomena affecting the initiation and the transition phases of an unprotected loss of flow (ULOF) accident. Key phenomena for the initiation phase are coolant boiling onset and further voiding of the core that lead to a reactivity increase in the case of a positive void reactivity effect. Therefore, the first level of optimization involves the reduction, by design, of the positive void effect in order to avoid entering a severe accident. If the core disruption cannot be