U.S. Reactor Containment Technology: a Compilation of Current Practice in Analysis, Design, Construction, Test, and Operation, Volume 1 Page: 1-36
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22.214.171.124 Homogeneous Reactors
The homogeneous reactor is one in which the fuel is intimately mixed
with the water coolant, which also acts as moderator. There are no fuel
elements and generally no control rods. The fuel, since it circulates,
is cooled externally in the steam generator. The coolant and fuel circu-
late through the reactor vessel, coolant circulating pump, and steam gen-
erator and make these components internally radioactive. These components
must be operated at high pressures comparable to those of the pressurized-
water systems in order to prevent boiling. Fission products also circu-
late through the low-pressure system, which employs evaporators to adjust
the concentrations of the fuel solution of the high-pressure loop.
No aqueous homogeneous reactors are operating in this country at
present, although there were four reactor experiments that operated at
one time or another in the past 10 years. The sulfate system (HRT) oper-
ated at a maximum temperature of 5700F and a pressure of 1800 psia. The
steam pressure was about 520 psia. The aqueous homogeneous solutions
became highly radioactive during reactor operation, and the hazard of a
solution leak was a potent problem. Precautions were taken to prevent
accumulation of a critical mass in parts of the system other than the
reactor core. Both the loop and the low-pressure components were con-
tained, since the fission-product-containing fuel circulated through them.
The turbine could be located outside the container with steam block valves
completing the containment scheme. High-pressure containment was used
126.96.36.199 Heavy-Water Reactors
Deuterium oxide, or heavy water, is attractive as a coolant and mod-
erator for thermal nuclear reactors because it has an appreciably smaller
cross section for the capture of thermal neutrons than ordinary water and
is feasible to use with natural uranium. So far it has not found frequent
use for power reactors. This has been due in large degree to the high
cost of heavy water (now $15 per lb, down from $28 per Ib).
Except for the core, most of the reactor components are similar to
those of a conventional pressurized-water reactor. The core must be of
different design because of the large size needed to attain criticality
with natural uranium fuel. One approach is to contain the core in a
large pressure vessel, while the alternative is to use an individual pres-
sure tube around each fuel element. Both the Carolinas-Virginia Tube Re-
actor (CVTR) and the Plutonium Recycle Test Reactor (PRTR) have taken the
There is considerable design and operating experience available on
heavy-water reactors from the Savannah River production reactors. Also,
a few reactors that fall in other categories, such as the circulating-
fuel HRT, used D20. In principle, containment considerations for these
reactors are essentially the same as for conventional pressurized-water
reactors. In actual practice reactors of this type have employed the
pressure-tube core design, which makes the maximum credible accident
somewhat less severe.
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Cottrell, William B. & Savolainen, A. W. U.S. Reactor Containment Technology: a Compilation of Current Practice in Analysis, Design, Construction, Test, and Operation, Volume 1, report, August 1965; Oak Ridge, Tennessee. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc101033/m1/64/: accessed March 26, 2019), University of North Texas Libraries, Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.