Abstract
The innovative fast spectrum experimental facility MYRRHA is being developed at the Belgian Nuclear Research Center SCK-CEN. MYRRHA, a flexible fast spectrum research reactor (50-100 MWth), is conceived as an accelerator driven system (ADS) demonstrator, able to operate in sub-critical and critical modes. It contains a proton accelerator of 600 MeV, a spallation target and a multiplying core with MOX fuel, cooled by liquid lead-bismuth. The project started in 1997 and the reactor is forecasted to be fully operational around 2022-2023. The driver fuel for the MYRRHA core is one of its key components. Plutonium-uranium dioxides mixture (MOX) with 30-35 % of the reactor grade plutonium in heavy metal is the preferred choice. MOX fuel elements with stainless steel cladding have already been produced, qualified and used for the sodium cooled fast neutron reactors (SFR). However, the difference in the lead-bismuth coolant temperature and its interactions with the fuel elements with respect to the operating conditions of a SFR and the specific operating conditions caused by beam trip effects in ADS require substantial efforts for the fuel qualification. Of special concern is the corrosion behavior of the cladding materials in a lead-bismuth environment with the power profile envisaged for MYRRHA.
| Original language | English |
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| Title of host publication | IAEA TECDOC Fast reactors fuels |
| Place of Publication | Vienna, Austria |
| State | Published - Jun 2011 |
| Event | 2011 - IAEA Technical Meeting on Design : Manufacturing and Irradiation Behaviour of Fast Reactors Fuels - IAEA, Obninsk Duration: 30 May 2011 → 3 Jun 2011 |
Conference
| Conference | 2011 - IAEA Technical Meeting on Design |
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| Country/Territory | Russian Federation |
| City | Obninsk |
| Period | 2011-05-30 → 2011-06-03 |