The STAR-LM 300 to 400 MWt class modular, factory fabricated, fully transportable, proliferation resistant, autonomous, reactor system achieves passive safety by taking advantage of the intrinsic benefits of inert lead-bismuth eutectic heavy liquid metal coolant, 100+% natural circulation heat transport, a fast neutron spectrum core utilizing high thermal conductivity transuranic nitride fuel, redundant passive air cooling of the outside of the guard/containment vessel driven by natural circulation, and seismic isolation where required by site conditions. Postulated loss-of-heat sink without scram, overcooling without scram, and unprotected transient overpower accidents are analyzed for the 300 MWt STAR-LM design using a coupled thermal hydraulics-neutron kinetics plant dynamics analysis computer code. In all cases, STAR-LM is calculated to exhibit passive safety with peak cladding and coolant temperatures remaining within the existing database for lead-bismuth eutectic coolant and ferritic steel core materials.

Volume Subject Area:
Next Generation Systems
Keywords:
Generation IV, Advanced Reactors, Passive Safety, Heavy Liquid Metal Coolant, Lead-Bismuth Eutectic
Topics:
Coolants, Liquid metals, Natural convection, Safety
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Copyright © 2002
 by ASME
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