Relationship between core size, coolant choice, fuel type, and neutron flux in a fast irradiation test reactor

Currently, the United States has no domestic capability for large volume irradiation testing in a fast-spectrum system to support the development of advanced fuels or materials. The recently-proposed Global Nuclear Energy Partnership includes provisions for a sodium-cooled Advanced Burner Test Reactor which could provide this testing capability. In addition to sodium, lead-bismuth eutectic and helium coolants are being considered for future energy systems. In this paper, sodium, lead-bismuth eutectic, and helium-cooled systems are evaluated to determine the impact on fast flux and fuel enrichment resulting from varying core diameter, fuel volume fraction, fuel type, and coolant. While fast flux is most strongly influenced by core diameter at fixed power, fuel enrichment is a more complicated function of all four parameters. In the end, the combination of high fast flux and low enrichment can best be achieved by a sodium-cooled system. (authors)