Innovative Cooling System for a High-Flux Pool-Type Research Reactor

Author(s)

Abstract
The present paper introduces the conceptual design of a pool-type research reactor facility with a three-circuit cooling system. The advantages of creating a comprehensive cooling system for the research reactor, based on a combination of forced and natural coolant circulation, are substantiated. The use of "dry" cooling towers for transferring heat from the reactor to the ultimate sink (atmospheric air) eliminates the problem of salt deposits formation in the equipment and significantly reduces operational costs for chemical and mechanical cleaning of heat exchangers. The presence of an intermediate circuit, operating on the principle of a heat pipe (thermosiphon), helps to eliminate the risk of radioactive coolant leakage into the environment. The operation of this circuit ensures high heat transfer efficiency while maintaining a simple design and absence of moving mechanical parts, which ensures the reliability of the system. The utilization of an upward flow for heat removal from the core creates optimal conditions for enhancing thermal reliability in the pool-type reactor, considering the displacement of the maximum neutron flux density to the lower part of the core due to the position of control rod drives and improved heat removal conditions in this area due to increased pressure and minimum coolant temperature. The design of the pool-type reactor facility and numerical assessments of the cooling circuits' performance at a power of 25 MW, providing a neutron flux exceeding 1×10¹⁵ cm^-2s^-1, are presented.

Keywords
Research reactors, passive system, reactor cooling system, heat pipe, thermal reliability, nuclear reactor safety, natural convection

Cite this paper
Vitaly Uzikov, Innovative Cooling System for a High-Flux Pool-Type Research Reactor , SCIREA Journal of Physics. Volume 9, Issue 5, October 2024 | PP. 145-180. 10.54647/physics140639

References