CLINCH RIVER BREEDER REACTOR PROJECT

Asad M.Jan 73

Ibni Amin 74

M.Tariq 75

M.Arshad 76

Kaleem ullah 77

INTRODUCTION• The Clinch River Breeder Reactor (CRBRP)

Project was a joint effort of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission and the U.S. electric power industry to design and construct a sodium-cooled fast-neutron nuclear reactor.

• The reactor would have been rated at 1000 megawatts (MW) of thermal output, with a net plant output of 350 MW (electrical) and a gross output of 380 MW

Design Data Of CRBRPFuel = PuO2 mixed oxideFuel Elements= 0.23in dia rods,217 rods /assembly,156 assembliesBlankets= Depleted UO2,76 inner blanket & 132 radial blanket assembliesTurbine = 3600rpm ,nonreheat ,Total extracted Steam 1.15*10^6 lb/hPower peaking factor = 1.28axial, 1.18radial @ beginning of cycleFuel burn up =80,000MW day/ton initial core , 110,000 peakBreeding ratio = 1.24 , 30years doubling timeCore Temperatures = Fuel cladding wall , max.1215F ; Sodium 730F inlet, 995F outletSteam systems = Two Evaporators and one super heater / loop, 3.33*10^6lb /hr each, Super heater outlet 906F ,1535psi,feed water 468F , to steam separator drum ,548F to evaporatorGross thermal efficiency =39%

Project Cost And Reactor design Atomic Energy Commission estimated that

the Clinch River project would cost about $400 million.

The reactor core was designed to contain 198 hexagonal fuel assemblies,

The inner core would have contained 18% plutonium and would have consisted of 108 assemblies.

Outer zone consisted of 90 assemblies of 24% plutonium to promote more uniform heat generation

Reactor Core It is composed of 156 fuel assemblies. Interspersed with 76 inner blankets,6

assemblies for inner blanket and 15 control assemblies.

The mix is surrounding by 132 radial blanket assemblies which in turn surrounded by 306 radial shield assemblies.

The Reactor

The reactor vessel is 59ft high,27ft in diameter and weighs 505 tons.

The vessel wall is kept below 900F by directing 2per of sodium flow between annulus and 25 ft stainless steel thermal liner.

25 Ft dia,47ft high guard vessel surrounds the liner and provide secondary containment.

The upper closure head assembly contains penetration for control rod assemblies and independently rotatable plugs for refueling system,

HEAT TRANSFER SYSTEM

The reactor is connected to three primary loop, each connected to three independent intermediate loops.

In each loop sodium enters the reactor vessel at 730F and exits at 995F.

A primary sodium pump pumps the hot sodium to an intermediate heat exchanger at 33700gal/min and a pressure of 175psi.

The primary sodium returns to the reactor via check valve and a flow meter.

Steam generating System: It used three steam loops. In each, a steam drum receives heated feed water

from steam power cycle Then steam separates from water and goes to super

heater There it receives heat from sodium & leaves drum as a

mixture of H2O & steam Then steam enters The super heater & evaporator Then from here it goes to Steam plant

Steam plant It has three low pressure sections It has two Evaporators and one super heater / loop,

3.33*10^6lb /hr each, Super heater outlet 906F ,1535psi,feed water 468F , to steam separator drum ,548F to evaporator

Condensate is pumped from condenser to demeneralizer (consist of three parallel ion exchangers)

Then flows to the LPFWH Then pumped to the HPFWH At last to the Heat sink.