Improvements In Water Reactor Fuel Technology And Utilization

Improvements in water reactor fuel technology and utilization are of great importance in achieving better reactor operational safety and economics. This report is intended to provide general information on the progress made in water reactor fuel design, fabrication and utilization, as well as on current and future developments.

The editors are happy to present the twentieth volume in the review series Advances in Nuclear Science and Technology. Lahey and Drew, our first authors, present a concise development of the equations for two-phase flow, essential to the understanding of normal and, even more, accidental behavior in water-cooled reactors. The commitment to the PWR in Europe (now joined by England in this respect) and the aftermath of Chernobyl in the U.S.S.R. put continuing emphasis on the need for good understanding of two-phase phenomena to provide good modelling. The second review, by Downar and Sesonske, of light water reactor fuel modelling, follows this LWR interest and emphasises a current major economic interest: how to get the most out of fuel. Recollecting that the capital cost of nuclear power is high, it is easy to overlook the fact that in the lifetime of a plant as much money is spent on fuel as capital. Optimization is worthwhile. The U.S. scene still does not practice recycling whereas the European scene does. Now that the United Kingdom is building its first (commercial) light water reactor, the linear modelling of burnup exploited by the second authors will prove even more useful, although previously exploited for advanced gas-cooled reactors. If the U.K. is behind in this respect, the recycling undertaken by France and England has led to trial use of plutonium in thermal reactors but, even more, the availability of plutonium for fast reactors.

This publication reports on the results of a coordinated research project on advances in high temperature gas cooled reactor (HTGR) fuel technology and describes the findings of research activities on coated particle developments. These comprise two specific benchmark exercises with the application of HTGR fuel performance and fission product release codes, which helped compare the quality and validity of the computer models against experimental data. The project participants also examined techniques for fuel characterization and advanced quality assessment/quality control. The key exercise included a round-robin experimental study on the measurements of fuel kernel and particle coating properties of recent Korean, South African and US coated particle productions applying the respective qualification measures of each participating Member State. The summary report documents the results and conclusions achieved by the project and underlines the added value to contemporary knowledge on HTGR fuel.

Handbook of Small Modular Nuclear Reactors, Second Edition is a fully updated comprehensive reference on Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), which reflects the latest research and technological advances in the field from the last five years. Editors Daniel T. Ingersoll and Mario D. Carelli, along with their team of expert contributors, combine their wealth of collective experience to update this comprehensive handbook that provides the reader with all required knowledge on SMRs, expanding on the rapidly growing interest and development of SMRs around the globe. This book begins with an introduction to SMRs for power generation, an overview of international developments, and an analysis of Integral Pressurized Water Reactors as a popular class of SMRs. The second part of the book is dedicated to SMR technologies, including physics, components, I&C, human-system interfaces and safety aspects. Part three discusses the implementation of SMRs, covering economic factors, construction methods, hybrid energy systems and licensing considerations. The fourth part of the book provides an in-depth analysis of SMR R&D and deployment of SMRs within eight countries, including the United States, Republic of Korea, Russia, China, Argentina, and Japan. This edition includes brand new content on the United Kingdom and Canada, where interests in SMRs have increased considerably since the first edition was published. The final part of the book adds a new analysis of the global SMR market and concludes with a perspective on SMR benefits to developing economies. This authoritative and practical handbook benefits engineers, designers, operators, and regulators working in nuclear energy, as well as academics and graduate students researching nuclear reactor technologies. Presents the latest research on SMR technologies and global developments Includes new case study chapters on the United Kingdom and Canada and a chapter on global SMR markets Discusses new technologies such as floating SMRs and molten salt SMRs