Beryllium-free molten salt reactor core using beryllium oxide for moderating

Abstract

The invention provides a beryllium-free molten salt reactor core using beryllium oxide for moderating, the molten salt reactor core is characterized by comprising a fuel grid and a reflective layer grid, the reflective layer grid is arranged outside the fuel grid, and surrounds the fuel grid, and the grid uses the beryllium oxide as a moderator. The beryllium in the beryllium oxide in the molten salt reactor core has (n, 2n) neutron multiplication reaction, reactor core neutron economy is improved, and design of a high proliferation thorium molten salt reactor can be designed.

Description

technical field [0001] The invention relates to the core design of molten salt reactor in the field of nuclear reactor engineering design, in particular to a molten salt reactor core moderated by beryllium-free molten salt beryllium oxide. Background technique [0002] In the field of nuclear reactor engineering design, while ensuring core criticality and safety, it is still a major challenge for molten salt reactor core design to maximize the fuel breeding ratio (production of fissile nuclei / consumption of fissile nuclei). To increase the reproduction ratio, neutron economy needs to be improved. In the reactor, neutrons collide with fissile nuclei (such as uranium-233) to cause nuclear fission reactions, and each nuclear fission produces 2 to 3 neutrons, one of which must be used to maintain this "chain" fission The "excess" neutrons can be used for the proliferation of nuclear fuel, and thorium-233 (or uranium-238) is finally transformed into fissile nuclide uranium-233 (...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

In the core of the early MSBR molten salt reactor in the United States, the graphite material needs to be replaced every 4 years. The reason is that the graphite is a lamellar structure in the microstructure, so there is an anisotropic swelling problem in the irradiation environment, although through the manufacturing process Improvement, the anisotropy of graphite can be reduced, but its radiation resistance is still not ideal

Secondly, in terms of mechanical properties, graphite itself has low hardness and strength

Although the graphite in the molten salt reactor core does not need to withstand high pressure, under the influence of radiation environment and thermal expansion, graphite is prone to cracks at the connection with other components, which affects the service life of graphite

In addition, in the traditional design, graphite is in direct contact with the molten salt in the fuel flow channel, and the graphite material has a certain porosity and permeability, and the fission products (such as Xe) in the molten salt will be deposited in the graphite, which will increase the radioactivity Difficulty of waste disposal

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