scholarly journals Nuclear Power after Fukushima

2011 ◽  
Vol 133 (12) ◽  
pp. 27-29 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gail H. Marcus
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Cost Savings ◽  
Nuclear Material ◽  
Light Water Reactors ◽  
Light Water ◽  
Loss Of Coolant Accident ◽  
Major Loss ◽  
Water Reactors ◽  
A Current ◽  
Reactor Pressure

This article discusses advanced reactor technologies that are now getting renewed attention after the Fukushima nuclear plant accident. Interest in smaller reactors has been growing in recent years. Some of these designs have advantages over the traditional large light water reactors (LWRs) for certain applications. The smaller designs carry less of an inventory of nuclear material, so there is less material at risk in an accident involving a release. Proponents of small modular reactors (SMRs) point to cost savings due to the factory fabrication and shorter construction times. They have significant advantages for countries with small grids, where a current 1500 MWe reactor would exceed demand and threaten grid stability. Other designs that are getting the most attention at present are small or medium LWR concepts. In addition to their smaller size, these designs differ from current large, light-water designs in that most of them use an “integral” design. Most major reactor components are inside the reactor pressure vessel, thus significantly reducing the threat of a major loss-of-coolant accident.

scholarly journals On the possibility to improve mixed uranium-plutonium fuel in fast reactors

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 131-135
Author(s):  
Vladimir A. Eliseev ◽  
Dmitry A. Klinov ◽  
Noël Camarcat ◽  
David Lemasson ◽  
Clement Mériot ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Isotopic Composition ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Spent Nuclear Fuel ◽  
Light Water Reactors ◽  
Fast Reactors ◽  
Light Water ◽  
Fuel Cycles ◽  
Mox Fuel ◽  
Water Reactors ◽  
Operational Activities

Accumulation of plutonium extracted from the spent nuclear fuel (SNF) of light water reactors is one of the central problems in nuclear power. To reduce out-of-the-reactor Pu inventory, leading nuclear power countries (France, Japan) use plutonium in light water power reactors in the form of MOX fuel, with half of Pu fissioning in this fuel. The rest of Pu cannot be reused easily and efficiently in light water reactors because of the high content of even isotopes. Plutonium for which there are no potential consumers is accumulated. Unlike thermal reactors, fast reactors take plutonium of any isotopic composition. That makes it possible to improve plutonium isotopic composition and to reduce the fraction of even isotopes to the level that allows reuse of such plutonium in thermal reactors. The idea of changing the isotopic composition of Pu in fast reactors is well-known. The originality of the research lies in applying this idea to combine the fuel cycles of fast and thermal reactors. Pu isotopic composition can be improved by combining certain operational activities in order to supply fuel to thermal and fast reactors. Scientific and technological justification of the possibility will let Russian BN technologies and French MOX fuel technologies work in synergy with thermal reactors.

Underground Siting of Nuclear Power Plants: Insights From Fukushima

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jay F. Kunze ◽  
James M. Mahar ◽  
Kellen M. Giraud ◽  
C. W. Myers
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Nuclear Power Plants ◽  
Light Water Reactors ◽  
Light Water ◽  
Waste Storage ◽  
Small Modular Reactor ◽  
Fukushima Daiichi ◽  
Water Reactors ◽  
High Level

Siting of nuclear power plants in an underground nuclear park has been proposed by the authors in many previous publications, first focusing on how the present 1200 to 1600 MW-electric light water reactors could be sited underground, then including reprocessing and fuel manufacturing facilities, as well as high level permanent waste storage. Recently the focus has been on siting multiple small modular reactor systems. The recent incident at the Fukushima Daiichi site has prompted the authors to consider what the effects of a natural disaster such as the Japan earthquake and subsequent tsunami would have had if these reactors had been located underground. This paper addresses how the reactors might have remained operable — assuming the designs we previously proposed — and what lessons from the Fukushima incident can be learned for underground nuclear power plant designs.

Investigations on the Melt Gate Ablation by Ex-Vessel Core Melts in the KAPOOL Experiments

2002 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beatrix Eppinger ◽  
Silke Schmidt-Stiefel ◽  
Walter Tromm
Keyword(s):  
Pressure Vessel ◽  
Reactor Pressure Vessel ◽  
Light Water Reactors ◽  
Light Water ◽  
Theoretical Tool ◽  
Transient Experiments ◽  
Core Meltdown ◽  
Water Reactors ◽  
Radioactive Release ◽  
Reactor Pressure

In future Light Water Reactors (LWR) containment failure should be prevented even for very unlikely core meltdown sequences with reactor pressure vessel (RPV) failure. In the case of such a postulated core meltdown accident in a future LWR the ex-vessel melt shall be retained and cooled in a special compartment inside the containment to exclude significant radioactive release to the environment. In such a case, a gate has to be designed to allow the melt release from the reactor cavity into the compartment. A series of transient experiments has been performed to investigate the melt gate ablation using iron and alumina melts as a simulant for the corium melt. The results of the KAPOOL tests are analyzed with the HEATING5 code in order to evaluate realistic cases of internally heated corium melts and melt gates with the same theoretical tool.

scholarly journals Heat in a Bottle

2019 ◽  
Vol 141 (01) ◽  
pp. 36-41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles W. Forsberg
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Heat Storage ◽  
Light Water Reactors ◽  
Enabling Technology ◽  
Light Water ◽  
Nuclear Plants ◽  
Water Reactors ◽  
Storage Technologies ◽  
Current Heat

Concentrated solar plants have been designed to store thermal energy so as to produce power after sundown, but heat storage should also be of interest to operators of nuclear power plants. Adding heat storage to light-water reactors is the enabling technology for a carbon-free electricity industry based on solar, wind, and nuclear power. And it can accomplish this with little disruption to the operations of existing nuclear plants. This article delves into the current heat storage technologies that are at various states of readiness to be deployed.

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