Thermal hydraulic and chemical performance of Pb-Bi Cooled reactor PEACER

PEACER is a liquid-metal-cooled fast reactor whose design goals include proliferation resistance, environmental friendliness, accident tolerance, continuable energy, and economical reactor. In an earlier study, the conceptual design for PEACER was developed to meet the aforementioned goals. PEACER is being designed with the metallic type U-Pu-Th fuel and the Pb-Bi coolant, but without an intermediate loop. It not only produces power but also transmutes long-term radioactive materials. PEACER can transmute the minor actinides of two pressurized water reactors, 1000MWe power each. The core design follows the basic Integral Fast Reactor burner of a 1,560MWth core. It is a pancake type, which increases the neutron leakage and reduces the total fuel volume fraction. It thus increases burning of the transuranic isotopes. The inner reflector also increases the radial neutron leakage. PEACER has a low power density, a large pitch-to-diameter ratio, and a short fuel height design. The fuel assemblies are in a square array, which increases the flow area and the neutron leakage. The grid spacers support the fuel pins. There are two fuel types: inner low enriched fuel, and outer high enriched fuel. Two region configurations flatten the neutron flux. This work is concerned with the system analysis, pressure drop, and natural circulation calculation for PEACER. A large-scale Pb-Bi test loop named HELIOS (Heavy Eutectic Loop for Investigation of Operability and Safety) to support the analysis results