Fixed bed nuclear reactor concept

Full text: The fixed bed nuclear reactor (FBNR) is essentially a pressurized light water reactor (PWR) having spherical fuel elements constituting a suspended reactor core at its lowest bed porosity. The core is movable thus under any adverse condition, the fuel elements can leave the reactor core naturally through the force of gravity and fall into the passively cooled fuel chamber or leave the reactor all together entering the spent fuel pool. It is a small and modular reactor being simple in design. Its spent fuel is in such a convenient form and size that may be utilized directly as the source for irradiation and applications in agriculture and industry. This feature results in a positive impact on waste management and environmental protection. The principle features of the proposed reactor are that the concept is polyvalent, simple in design, may operate either as fixed or fluidized bed, have the core suspended contributing to inherent safety, passive cooling features of the reactor. The reactor is modular and has integrated primary system utilizing either water, supercritical steam or helium gas as its coolant. Some of the advantages of the proposed reactor are being modular, low environmental impact, exclusion of severe accidents, short construction period, flexible adaptation to demand, excellent load following characteristics, and competitive economics. The characteristics of the Fluidized Bed Nuclear Reactor (FBNR) concept may be analyzed under the light of the requirements set for the IV generation nuclear reactors. It is shown that FBNR meet the goals of (1) Providing sustainable energy generation that meets clean air objectives and promotes long-term availability of systems and effective fuel utilization for worldwide energy production, (2) Minimize and manage their nuclear waste and notably reduce the long term stewardship burden in the future, thereby improving protection for the public health and the environment, (3) Excel in safety and reliability, (4) Have a very low likelihood and degree of reactor core damage. (5) Eliminate the need for offsite emergency response, (6) Have a clear life-cycle cost advantage over other energy sources, (7) Have a level of financial risk comparable to other energy projects. (author)