Safety aspects of BNL's high-flux beam reactor

The High-Flux Beam Reactor (HFBR) is a 60-MW(thermal) research reactor designed to produce intense thermal neutron beams. The safety design of the HFBR is based on the automatic shutdown systems, defense-in-depth decay heat removal systems, light water flooding protection, and the reactor confinement system. The reactor power level is presently downrated from 60 to 35.4 MW until thermal-hydraulic tests can be performed to benchmark safety analyses. These analyses should allow Brookhaven National Laboratory to increase reactor power and maintain the criteria of no fuel damage during a design-bases LOCA