Nuclear Design 2023

This project is conceived to improve your knowledge in nuclear reactor design

as taught in class (cf. the docs4nuke website for misc docs and slides)

by working on accessible research articles (cf. previous years).

Nuclear Design, How To ?

Teacher : Alexis Nuttin

• 5 subjects = 5 parts (defined below) of the selected article (pdf file via title link)

• Understanding and synthesis work in group

  • During our brainstorming sessions and outside

  • Questions about precise issues to ask by e-mail

• Send your two documents (cf. next point) by e-mail before October 5

  • Slides in pdf, w/o animation (10 max. per group)

  • Notes (written details) in pdf too, numbered slide by slide

• Pedagogic & synthetic presentation on October 10 ("best way to learn is to teach")

  • 10-minute (maximum) presentation per group

  • 10-minute Q&A session (from the other groups)

About the relevant use of molten salts as coolants

in high-temperature power reactors

Context of this study (and possibly useful extra documents)

The chosen article (pdf via title link below) details the design of a High Temperature Reactor (HTR) whose core is cooled by a fluoride molten salt, proposed by Charles Forsberg (MIT) : feel free to contact him, with my help if needed, if you have specific questions on this study.

This concept (2003) is inspired (for its architecture) by the sodium-cooled PRISM project. If you want more details on this (S-)PRISM model, you can have a look at this 1992 paper by GE (General Electric) or at this more recent 2012 revival paper by GEH (GE Hitachi).

After Forsberg's proposal (of a molten-salt cooled HTR), many similar concepts were developed. For instance by UCB (Berkeley), in the frame of the so-called FHR (Fluoride HTR) research program (including the design of the Mark 1 Pebble-Bed Fluoride HTR, and at the origin of the recent start-up Kairos Power).

Two extra documents on GA's GT-MHR, a typical HTGR project (evoked by Forsberg's article) : a synthetic paper on its design and safety + a few slides made by General Atomics.

MOLTEN-SALT COOLED ADVANCED HIGH-TEMPERATURE REACTOR FOR PRODUCTION OF HYDROGEN AND ELECTRICITY

part a (sections I + II) : introduction, molten-salt coolants

group a : Julie, Camille, Paul

part b (III) : reactor core

group b : Antoine, Simran, Abhishek

part c (IV) : safety systems

group c : Angela, Pierre, Cyprien

part d (V) : electricity and hydrogen production

group d : Eloisa, Lorenzo, Matthieu

part e (VI à IX + III.A of this extra article, as an appendix of VI) : fuel cycles (thorium), economics, ..., conclusions

group e : Diane, Matteo, Hanne