Two-Fluid Molten-Salt Breeder Reactor Design Study (Status As of January 1, 1968)
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ORNL-4528 Two-Fluid Molten-Salt Breeder Reactor Design Study (Status as of January 1, 1968) R.C. Robertson O.L. Smith R.B. Briggs E.S. Bettis AUGUST 1970 OAK RIDGE NATIONAL LABORATORY Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37830 operated by UNION CARBIDE CORPORATION for the U.S. ATOMIC ENERGY COMMISSION Contents 1 Introduction 6 2 Resume of Design Considerations 8 3 Materials 13 3.1 General . 13 3.2 Salts . 14 3.3 Hastelloy N . 20 3.4 Graphite . 22 3.5 Graphite-to-Metal Joints . 26 4 General Plant Description and Flowsheets 28 4.1 General . 28 4.2 Site . 28 4.3 Reactor Plant . 32 4.4 Turbine Plant . 47 4.5 Salt Processing Plant . 52 5 Major Components 57 5.1 Reactor . 57 5.2 Fuel Salt Primary Heat Exchanger . 67 5.3 Blanket Salt Primary Heat Exchanger . 70 5.4 Salt Circulating Pumps . 73 5.5 Off-Gas System . 78 5.6 Drain Tanks . 79 5.7 Steam Generators . 85 5.8 Steam Reheaters . 89 5.9 Reheat Steam Preheaters . 89 5.10 Maintenance . 92 6 Reactor Physics and Fuel Cycle Analysis 94 6.1 Optimization of Reactor Parameters . 94 6.2 Useful Life of Moderator Graphite . 100 6.3 Flux Flattening . 104 6.4 Fuel Cell Calculations . 105 6.5 Temperature Coefficients of Reactivity . 107 6.6 Dynamics Analysis . 108 7 Cost Estimates 112 7.1 General . 112 7.2 Construction Costs . 112 1 7.3 Power Production Costs . 115 A Cost Estimates 117 List of Figures 2.1 Simplified Flow Diagram of Two-Fluid MSBR . 9 3.1 Two-Fluid MSBR Fuel Salt — The System LiF-BeF2-UF4 . 16 3.2 Two-Fluid MSBR Blanket Salt — The System LiF-BeF2-ThF4 . 18 3.3 Two-Fluid MSBR Coolant Salt — The System NaF-NaBF4 . 19 3.4 Effect of Pyrolytic Carbon Coating for Graphite on Xenon Poison Fraction . 25 3.5 Expansion Coefficients of Transition Joint Materials as a Function of Composition 26 4.1 Plant Site Layout . 29 4.2 Building Plan . 30 4.3 Building Elevation . 30 4.4 Alternative Building Layout (used in Cost Estimate) . 31 4.5 Flowsheet for 250-MWe MSBR Module . 33 4.6 Plan View of Reactor Plant . 35 4.7 Sectional Elevation of Reactor Cell . 41 4.8 Plan View of Steam Generator and Drain Tank Cells . 41 4.9 Cell Wall Construction at Supports . 42 4.10 Cell Wall Construction at Roof Plugs . 43 4.11 Cross Sectional Elevation of Drain Tank Cell . 45 4.12 Steam System Flowsheet for 1000-MWe MSBR Power Station . 48 4.13 Processing Diagram for Two-Fluid MSBR . 53 5.1 Vertical Section Through Reactor Vessel for One Module . 58 5.2 Horizontal Section Through Center of Reactor Vessel . 59 5.3 Sectional Drawing of Graphite Fuel Cell . 61 5.4 Vertical Section Through Alternative Design of Reactor Vessel . 65 5.5 Graphite Fuel Tube Assembly for Core Region . 66 5.6 Fuel Salt Primary Heat Exchanger and Pump Assembly . 69 5.7 Blanket Salt Primary Heat Exchanger and Pump Assembly . 72 5.8 Fuel Salt Circulating Pump. 76 5.9 Fuel Salt Drain Tank for Two-Fluid MSBR. 81 5.10 Steam Generator-Superheater. 88 5.11 Steam Reheater. 90 5.12 Reheat Steam Preheater. 92 6.2 Variation of MSBR Parameters with Average Core Power Density . 95 6.1 MSBR Fuel Cycle Cost vs. Annual Fuel Yield. 96 6.3 Variation of MSBR Parameters with Average Core Power Density . 97 6.4 Volume Changes in Near-Isotropic Graphite Resulting from Neutron Irradiation . 98 2 6.5 Fast Flux as a Measure of Radiation Damage. 102 6.6 Neutron Flux per Unit Lethargy . 103 6.7 Geometry Used in Fuel Cell Calculations. 105 6.8 Effect of Reactivity of Changing Fuel Cell Properties . 106 6.9 Thermal Flux Distribution in Cell. E < 1.86 eV. 107 6.10 MSBR Multiplication Factor vs. Temperature. 108 6.11 Power Transient Following a Reactivity Step . 110 6.12 Amplitude of the Power-to-Reactivity Frequency Response . 111 6.13 Phase of the Power-to-Reactivity Frequency Response . 111 List of Tables 3.1 Physical Properties of Salts for Two-Fluid MSBR . 14 3.2 Approximate Fission Product Distribution in MSRE . 17 3.3 Nominal Chemical Composition of Hastelloy N . 21 3.4 Physical Properties of Hastelloy N. 22 3.5 Nominal Values for Properties of Graphite . 23 4.1 MSBR Steam-Power System Design and Performance Data with 700◦F Feedwater 49 4.2 MSBR Steam-Power System Design and Performance Data with 700◦F Feedwater 50 5.1 Variation of Some Reactor Characteristics with Power Density and Design Lifetime 62 5.2 Fuel Salt Primary Heat Exchanger Data . 68 5.3 Blanket Salt Primary Heat Exchanger Data . 71 5.4 Salt-Circulating Pumps for the 1000-MWe MSBR . 74 5.5 Fuel Salt Drain Tank Data . 82 5.6 Decay Heat of Fission Products in Fuel Salt . 84 5.7 Steam Generator Data . 86 5.8 Steam Reheater Data . 87 5.9 Reheat Steam Preheater Data . 91 6.1 Basic Economic Assumptions Used in Nuclear Design Studies . 97 6.2 MSBR Fuel Cycle Performance . 97 6.3 MSBR Neutron Balance for Average Power Density of 20 W/cm3 . 98 6.4 Estimated Fuel-Cycle Cost for a 1000-MWe MSBR Power Station . 99 6.5 Processing Cycle Times with X=2 . 101 6.6 Useful Life of MSBR Graphite . 103 6.7 Flux Ratios in Epithermal and Fast Energy Ranges . 107 6.8 Temperature Coefficients of Reactivity . 109 6.9 Reactivity Coefficients (10−6∆k=k per ◦F) . 110 7.1 Comparison of Construction Cost of MSBR and PWR . 113 7.2 Estimated Electric Power Production Costs for a MSBR 1000-MWe Power Station 114 A.1 Estimated Cost of Improvements, Buildings, and Structures for 1000-MWe Power Station. 117 3 A.2 Estimated Cost of Four Reactor Vessels for a 1000-MWe Power Station. 118 A.3 Weights and Estimated Costs of Graphite for Four Reactor Modules. 119 A.4 Estimated Cost of Shielding and Containment for a 1000-MWe Power Station, in $K. 119 A.5 Estimated Cost of Heat Transfer Equipment for a 1000-MWe Power Station, in $K. 120 A.6 Estimated Drain Tank Costs . 121 A.7 Estimated Cost of Feedwater Supply and Treatment System for a 1000-MWe Power Station, in $K. 122 A.8 Estimated Turbine-Generator Plant Costs for a 1000-MWe Power Station, in $K. 122 A.9 Accessory Electrical Costs for a 1000-MWe Power Station, in $K. 122 A.10 Miscellaneous Costs for a 1000-MWe Power Station, in $K. 123 A.11 Explanation of Indirect Costs Used in Table 7.1. 123 A.12 Fixed Charge Rate Used for Investor-Owned Power Station. 124 A.13 Graphite and Reactor Vessel Replacement Cost for 1000-MWe Power Station. 125 A.14 Operating Costs for a 1000-MWe Power Station. 125 4 Two-Fluid Molten-Salt Breeder Reactor Design Study (Status as of January 1, 1968) R.C. Robertson, O.L. Smith, R.B. Briggs, E.S. Bettis August 4, 1969 Abstract A conceptual design study of a 1000-MWe thermal breeder power station based on a.