LIQUID METAL COOLANTS for FAST REACTORS COOLED by SODIUM, LEAD, and LEAD-BISMUTH EUTECTIC the Following States Are Members of the International Atomic Energy Agency
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IAEA Nuclear Energy Series No. NP-T-1.6 Basic Liquid Metal Coolants Principles for Fast Reactors Cooled By Sodium, Lead, and Objectives Lead-Bismuth Eutectic Guides Technical Reports INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY VIENNA ISBN 978–92–0–131810–7 ISSN 1995–7807 IAEA NUCLEAR ENERGY SERIES PUBLICATIONS STRUCTURE OF THE IAEA NUCLEAR ENERGY SERIES Under the terms of Articles III.A and VIII.C of its Statute, the IAEA is authorized to foster the exchange of scientific and technical information on the peaceful uses of atomic energy. The publications in the IAEA Nuclear Energy Series provide information in the areas of nuclear power, nuclear fuel cycle, radioactive waste management and decommissioning, and on general issues that are relevant to all of the above mentioned areas. The structure of the IAEA Nuclear Energy Series comprises three levels: 1 — Basic Principles and Objectives; 2 — Guides; and 3 — Technical Reports. The Nuclear Energy Basic Principles publication describes the rationale and vision for the peaceful uses of nuclear energy. Nuclear Energy Series Objectives publications explain the expectations to be met in various areas at different stages of implementation. Nuclear Energy Series Guides provide high level guidance on how to achieve the objectives related to the various topics and areas involving the peaceful uses of nuclear energy. Nuclear Energy Series Technical Reports provide additional, more detailed, information on activities related to the various areas dealt with in the IAEA Nuclear Energy Series. The IAEA Nuclear Energy Series publications are coded as follows: NG — general; NP — nuclear power; NF — nuclear fuel; NW — radioactive waste management and decommissioning. In addition, the publications are available in English on the IAEA’s Internet site: http://www.iaea.org/Publications/index.html For further information, please contact the IAEA at PO Box 100, Vienna International Centre, 1400 Vienna, Austria. All users of the IAEA Nuclear Energy Series publications are invited to inform the IAEA of experience in their use for the purpose of ensuring that they continue to meet user needs. Information may be provided via the IAEA Internet site, by post, at the address given above, or by email to [email protected]. LIQUID METAL COOLANTS FOR FAST REACTORS COOLED BY SODIUM, LEAD, AND LEAD-BISMUTH EUTECTIC The following States are Members of the International Atomic Energy Agency: AFGHANISTAN GHANA NIGERIA ALBANIA GREECE NORWAY ALGERIA GUATEMALA OMAN ANGOLA HAITI PAKISTAN ARGENTINA HOLY SEE PALAU ARMENIA HONDURAS PANAMA AUSTRALIA HUNGARY PAPUA NEW GUINEA AUSTRIA ICELAND PARAGUAY AZERBAIJAN INDIA PERU BAHRAIN INDONESIA PHILIPPINES BANGLADESH IRAN, ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF POLAND BELARUS IRAQ PORTUGAL BELGIUM IRELAND QATAR BELIZE ISRAEL REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA BENIN ITALY ROMANIA BOLIVIA JAMAICA RUSSIAN FEDERATION BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA JAPAN RWANDA BOTSWANA JORDAN SAUDI ARABIA BRAZIL KAZAKHSTAN SENEGAL BULGARIA KENYA SERBIA BURKINA FASO KOREA, REPUBLIC OF SEYCHELLES BURUNDI KUWAIT SIERRA LEONE CAMBODIA KYRGYZSTAN SINGAPORE CAMEROON LAO PEOPLES DEMOCRATIC SLOVAKIA REPUBLIC CANADA SLOVENIA LATVIA CENTRAL AFRICAN SOUTH AFRICA LEBANON REPUBLIC SPAIN LESOTHO CHAD SRI LANKA LIBERIA CHILE SUDAN LIBYA CHINA SWEDEN COLOMBIA LIECHTENSTEIN SWITZERLAND CONGO LITHUANIA SYRIAN ARAB REPUBLIC COSTA RICA LUXEMBOURG TAJIKISTAN CÔTE DIVOIRE MADAGASCAR THAILAND CROATIA MALAWI THE FORMER YUGOSLAV CUBA MALAYSIA REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA CYPRUS MALI TUNISIA CZECH REPUBLIC MALTA TURKEY DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC MARSHALL ISLANDS UGANDA OF THE CONGO MAURITANIA UKRAINE DENMARK MAURITIUS UNITED ARAB EMIRATES DOMINICA MEXICO UNITED KINGDOM OF DOMINICAN REPUBLIC MONACO GREAT BRITAIN AND ECUADOR MONGOLIA NORTHERN IRELAND EGYPT MONTENEGRO UNITED REPUBLIC EL SALVADOR MOROCCO OF TANZANIA ERITREA MOZAMBIQUE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA ESTONIA MYANMAR URUGUAY ETHIOPIA NAMIBIA UZBEKISTAN FINLAND NEPAL VENEZUELA FRANCE NETHERLANDS VIETNAM GABON NEW ZEALAND YEMEN GEORGIA NICARAGUA ZAMBIA GERMANY NIGER ZIMBABWE The Agency’s Statute was approved on 23 October 1956 by the Conference on the Statute of the IAEA held at United Nations Headquarters, New York; it entered into force on 29 July 1957. The Headquarters of the Agency are situated in Vienna. Its principal objective is “to accelerate and enlarge the contribution of atomic energy to peace, health and prosperity throughout the world’’. IAEA NUCLEAR ENERGY SERIES No. NP-T-1.6 LIQUID METAL COOLANTS FOR FAST REACTORS COOLED BY SODIUM, LEAD, AND LEAD-BISMUTH EUTECTIC INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY VIENNA, 2012 COPYRIGHT NOTICE All IAEA scientific and technical publications are protected by the terms of the Universal Copyright Convention as adopted in 1952 (Berne) and as revised in 1972 (Paris). The copyright has since been extended by the World Intellectual Property Organization (Geneva) to include electronic and virtual intellectual property. Permission to use whole or parts of texts contained in IAEA publications in printed or electronic form must be obtained and is usually subject to royalty agreements. Proposals for non-commercial reproductions and translations are welcomed and considered on a case-by-case basis. Enquiries should be addressed to the IAEA Publishing Section at: Marketing and Sales Unit, Publishing Section International Atomic Energy Agency Vienna International Centre PO Box 100 1400 Vienna, Austria fax: +43 1 2600 29302 tel.: +43 1 2600 22417 email: [email protected] http://www.iaea.org/books © IAEA, 2012 Printed by the IAEA in Austria August 2012 STI/PUB/1567 IAEA Library Cataloguing in Publication Data Liquid metal coolants for fast reactors cooled by sodium, lead, and lead-bismuth eutectic. — Vienna : International Atomic Energy Agency, 2012. p. ; 29 cm. — (IAEA nuclear energy series, ISSN 1995–7807 ; no. NG-T-1.6) STI/PUB/1567 978–92–0–131810–7 Includes bibliographical references. 1. Liquid metal cooled reactors — Design and construction. 2. Liquid metal fast breeder reactors — Cooling systems. 3. Nuclear reactors — Materials. I. International Atomic Energy Agency. II. Series. IAEAL 12–00766 FOREWORD One of the IAEA’s statutory objectives is to “seek to accelerate and enlarge the contribution of atomic energy to peace, health and prosperity throughout the world”. One way this objective is achieved is through the publication of a range of technical series. Two of these are the IAEA Nuclear Energy Series and the IAEA Safety Standards Series. According to Article III.A.6 of the IAEA Statute, the safety standards establish “standards of safety for protection of health and minimization of danger to life and property.” The safety standards include the Safety Fundamentals, Safety Requirements and Safety Guides. These standards are written primarily in a regulatory style, and are binding on the IAEA for its own programmes. The principal users are the regulatory bodies in Member States and other national authorities. The IAEA Nuclear Energy Series comprises reports designed to encourage and assist R&D on, and application of, nuclear energy for peaceful uses. This includes practical examples to be used by owners and operators of utilities in Member States, implementing organizations, academia, and government officials, among others. This information is presented in guides, reports on technology status and advances, and best practices for peaceful uses of nuclear energy based on inputs from international experts. The IAEA Nuclear Energy Series complements the IAEA Safety Standards Series. The major challenges facing the long term development of nuclear energy as a part of the world’s energy mix are: improving its economic competitiveness, meeting increasingly stringent safety requirements, adhering to the criteria of sustainable development and achieving a high level of public acceptability. As far as sustainability aspects are concerned, fast spectrum nuclear reactors with multiple recycling of fuel allow the energy yield from natural uranium to be increased by a factor of 60–70 compared with thermal reactors. They also provide a significant improvement with respect to nuclear waste management. A necessary condition for successful near and mid-term deployment of fast reactors and the associated fuel cycles is the understanding and assessment of technological and design options, based on past knowledge and experience, and on research and technology development efforts. Achieving the full potential of the fast neutron system and closed fuel cycle technologies with regard to both efficient utilization of the fissile resources and waste management is conditional on continued advances in research and technology development to ensure improved economics and to maintain high safety levels with simplification of the system. The IAEA is assisting Member States in the area of advanced fast reactor technology development by providing a means for information exchange and collaborative research and development (R&D) to pool resources and expertise. The IAEA’s fast reactor technology development activities are pursued within the framework of the Technical Working Group on Fast Reactors (TWG-FR). Still the only global forum for information exchange and collaborative research and technology development projects in the area of fast neutron systems, the TWG-FR assists in the implementation of IAEA activities and, through continuous consultation with Member State representatives, ensures that all technical activities performed within the framework of the IAEA project on Technology Advances in Fast Reactors