Very High-Temperature Reactor (VHTR)

99 Pages·2010·4.78 MB·English

ORNL/TM-2010/163

Very High-Temperature Reactor (VHTR)
Proliferation Resistance and Physical
Protection (PR&PP)

August 2010

Prepared by

David L. Moses
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ORNL/TM-2010/163

Materials Science and Technology Division

VERY HIGH-TEMPERATURE REACTOR (VHTR)
PROLIFERATION RESISTANCE AND PHYSICAL
PROTECTION (PR&PP)

David L. Moses

Date Published: August 2010

Prepared by
OAK RIDGE NATIONAL LABORATORY
Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831-6283
managed by
UT-BATTELLE, LLC
for the
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
under contract DE-AC05-00OR22725

CONTENTS
Page
LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................................................ v
LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................................... vii
ACRONYMS ........................................................................................................................................ ix
1. OVERVIEW OF TECHNOLOGY .................................................................................................. 1
1.1 DESCRIPTION OF THE PRISMATIC VHTR ..................................................................... 2
1.2 DESCRIPTION OF THE PEBBLE BED VHTR .................................................................. 4
1.3 CURRENT SYSTEM DESIGN PARAMETERS AND DEVELOPMENT STATUS ......... 6
1.4 THE COMMON SAFETY BASES FOR THE VHTR CONCEPTS .................................... 6
1.5 TECHNICAL-BASIS COMPARISON FOR PRISMATIC AND PEBBLE BED
VHTR FUEL UTILIZATION ................................................................................................ 9
2. OVERVIEW OF FUEL CYCLE(S) .............................................................................................. 15
3. PR&PP RELEVANT SYSTEM ELEMENTS AND POTENTIAL ADVERSARY
TARGETS ..................................................................................................................................... 19
4. PROLIFERATION RESISTANCE CONSIDERATIONS INCORPORATED INTO
DESIGN ......................................................................................................................................... 23
4.1 CONCEALED DIVERSION OR PRODUCTION OF MATERIAL .................................. 29
4.2 BREAKOUT ........................................................................................................................ 29
4.3 PRODUCTION IN CLANDESTINE FACILITIES ............................................................ 29
5. PHYSICAL PROTECTION CONSIDERATIONS INCORPORATED INTO DESIGN ............. 31
5.1 THEFT OF MATERIAL FOR NUCLEAR EXPLOSIVES ................................................ 31
5.2 RADIOLOGICAL SABOTAGE ......................................................................................... 31
6. PR&PP ISSUES, CONCERNS AND BENEFITS ........................................................................ 33
7. REFERENCES .............................................................................................................................. 35
APPENDIX A VHTR MAJOR REACTOR DESIGN PARAMETERS ........................................ A-1
APPENDIX B A COMPARISON OF VHTR FUEL CYCLE PARAMETERS ............................ B-1
APPENDIX C TECHNICAL HISTORY REVIEW OF HTGR SPENT FUEL DISPOSAL,
REPROCESSING, AND RECYCLE/REFABRICATION TECHNOLOGIES ..... C-1

iii

LIST OF FIGURES
Figure Page

1.1 Illustration of coated particle fuel in the prismatic fuel element ........................................ 3
1.2 GT-MHR reactor, cross-duct and pcu vessels .................................................................... 4
1.3 GT-MHR fully embedded reactor building ........................................................................ 4
1.4 Illustration of coated particle fuel in pebble fuel element .................................................. 5
1.5 400 MW-thermal PBMR partially embedded reactor building with reactor vessel
and turbine lay-down .......................................................................................................... 6
1.6 250 MW-thermal HTR-PM reactor building elevated above ground level with
steam generator ................................................................................................................... 6
1.7 Illustration of LEU coated particle fuel .............................................................................. 7
1.8 PBMR fuel loadings from non-fueled start-up to normal operation ................................. 11
1.9 PBMR core unloading and reloading during maintenance shutdowns ............................. 12
1.10 PBMR core discharge inventories (graphite, start-up fuel, and equilibrium fuel) as a
function of recirculation timing ........................................................................................ 12
1.11 Schematic of proposed IAEA support measures for the application of safeguards at
PBMR ............................................................................................................................... 14
3.1 Diagram of VHTR nuclear system elements .................................................................... 19
4.1 Plutonium build-up in a PBMR fuel element in an equilibrium core ............................... 25
C.1 Later Dragon Reactor experiment (DRE) tubular fuel element designs—annular
rods and teledial fuel ....................................................................................................... C-4

v

LIST OF TABLES
Table Page

4.1 Calculated plutonium isotopic fractions for PBMR spent fuel as a function of initial
enrichment and discharge burn-up .................................................................................... 24
A.1 VHTR major reactor design parameters ......................................................................... A-3
B.1 A comparison of VHTR fuel cycle parameters ............................................................... B-3

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