Basic Concepts of a Modular Fast Sodium Reactor with Metallic Fuel

Abstract

The conceptual precepts of a modular fast sodium reactor with mixed uranium-plutonium zirconium-alloy metal fuel (U–Pu–Zr) related to Gen-IV are presented. The range of its parameters is determined, and the parameters are optimized in order to meet the characteristic requirements of the development of a nuclear power system in terms of safety, competitiveness, and resource availability. It was shown with the aid of computational studies that in a modular reactor, in spite of its small size, the systems requirements in terms of specific load and excess production are met and the minimum reactivity excess on burnup is realized. Loading metallic fuel into the core and thorium into the breeding zone and using fuel cycles compatible with thermal reactors it becomes much easier to solve the problems of supplying fuel for nuclear power and managing actinides and plutonium in the nuclear fuel cycle.