Assessment of the FBR Core Disruptive Accident (CDA): The Role and Application of General Behavior Principles (GBPs)

Abstract

General behavior principles (GBPs) first introduced in 1976 (H. K. Fauske, the Role of Core-Disruptive Accidents in Design and Licensing of LMFBRs, Nuclear Safety, Vol. 17, No. 5, 550–567, 1976) are applied to assess the core disruptive accident (CDA) outcome for a large (3,500MWt) high power density oxide-fueled sodium-cooled fast breeder reactor (FBR). Non-energetic termination in the so-called Initiating Phase is emphasized and is made possible by considering departures from the traditional core design including the Subassembly Inner Duct and Limited Blanket Removal concepts. This early accident scenario termination eliminates potential concerns raised related to recriticality events and also facilitates the potential for in-vessel fuel debris coolability for the large FBR with a compact reactor vessel.

KEYWORDS:

• FBR type reactors
• core disruptive accident
• general behavior principles
• sodium
• oxide fuel
• accident termination
• controlled material relocation
• recriticality
• energetics
• post accident heat removal
• in-vessel fuel debris retention