Influence of reactor maintenance considerations on the design of a commercial EBT power plant

An analysis of the scheduled reactor maintenance requirements of an Elmo Bumpy Torus Reactor (EBTR) and their effect on the reactor and reactor-building design was performed. The requirements for scheduled maintenance are that blanket replacement be accomplished in less time than that required for annual scheduled balance-of-plant maintenance (28 days), that capital and operating costs be minimized and availability maximized. Three circular reactor-building concepts were evaluated: a reactor building with permanent space outboard of the reactor for maintenance operations; a building with permanent maintenance space above the reactor; and a mobile maintenance module concept where the module moves around the perimeter of the reactor building and provides temporary space for maintenance at the required location. This paper presents the rationale for selection. of the first option. Time estimates and equipment requirements for first-wall/blanket/shield (FWBS) replacement are presented