A Proposal for Simplification and Cost Reduction of SFRs

The present work is aimed at describing an innovative plant solution able to greatly simplify and to make a fast neutron Sodium cooled nuclear reactor plant cheaper, without impairing safety. An innovative system has been developed, aimed at eliminating the intermediate sodium loop. It is based on a special heat exchanger that “joins” the intermediate heat exchanger, typical SFRs component, to the steam generator. The presence of an intermediate loop in Sodium Fast Reactors (SFR) is due to the high reactivity features of sodium with air or water. Thanks to this circuit a reaction between primary sodium (radioactive) and water/steam, within the energy conversion system, is prevented and, at the same time, the following presence of reaction product in the primary circuit, with the safety implication it would have, is avoided. Moreover, the plant solution proposed allows maintaining a physical double separation between primary sodium and water/steam, but avoiding any moving component within the fluid between primary sodium and water/steam. The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Community’s Seventh R&TD Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2011) under grant agreement n° 232658