Abstract
Following up the previous collaborative project on European sodium fast reactor (CP-ESFR project), the European sodium fast reactor—safety measures assessment and research tools (ESFR-SMART project) considers the safety objectives envisaged for generation-IV reactors, taking into account the lessons learned from the Fukushima accident, in order to increase the ESFR safety level. In accordance with these objectives, guidelines have been defined to drive the ESFR-SMART developments, mainly simplifying the design and using all the positive features of sodium fast reactors (SFR), such as low coolant pressure, efficiency of natural convection, possibility of decay heat removal (DHR) by atmospheric air, high thermal inertia, and long grace period before a human intervention is needed. In this paper, a set of new ambitious safety measures is introduced for further evaluation within the project. The proposed set aims at consistency with the main lines of safety evolutions since the Fukushima accident. The paper gives a first review of the new propositions to enhance the ESFR safety, leading to a simplified reactor, forgiving and including a lot of passivity. This first version is supported by the various project tasks in order to assess the relevance of the whole design in comparison to the final safety objectives.
