Appendix 9 Opportunities for further analyses or research & development

  • There is need for better characterization of oxide fuels operating in a load following mode than currently exists (Appendix 2)
  • By analysis, examine core design approaches that best reduce reactivity swing with burnup and enable very long lived core designs (Appendix 2C)
  • Determine the optimum split in thickness between upper and lower axial blankets that accounts for control rod shadowing.  Account for heterogeneous core in analyses (Appendix 2C)
  • Development of a remote controlled variable flow control device for inner blanket assemblies that is self actuated (Appendix 2D)
  • As an alternative to the above, develop a device that is self actuated that regulates the temperatures of both fuel and blanket assemblies (Appendix 2D)
  • Control and operation of a naturally circulating LMFBR (Appendix 2E)
  • Core restraint for a core loaded with ductless fuel (Appendix 2C)
  • Sort out the details of adopting the SRE refueling approach to a large LMFBR (Section 6)
  • Design of a reliable lower closure valve for a refueling shroud (Section 6)
  • Detailed literature survey of the SEFOR refueling system approach (Section 6)
  • Evaluate heat loads and sodium deposition rates within the refueling cell during refueling (Section 6)
  • Review of the SRE and Hallam reactor bottom support to determine how obvious design questions concerning this approach were resolved on those plants (Section 6)
  • Determine the scalability of the SRE/Hallam reactor vessel support design approaches to large sized plants (Section 6)
  • Quantify the economic incentive for adoption of the bottom mounted reactor vessel concept (Section 6)
  • Determine by analyses if it is feasible to eliminate the reactor vessel thermal liner in the bottom mounted configuration (Section 6)
  • Examine the potential for combining the functions of the reactor vessel and the core barrel thus eliminating the core barrel (Section 6)
  • Update earlier tradeoff studies comparing argon and helium cover gases given that the only primary system component requiring cover gas is the RV (Section 6)
  • Experimental activity to explore the effects of thermal striping on prospective UIS materials (Section 6)
  • Identify materials most suitable for use in a compact PHTS (Section 7)
  • Devise a solution for the RV bypass flow problem when deploying DRACS for shutdown heat removal. (Section 8)
  • Explore the options for core tailoring using minor actinide fuels (Appendix 3)
  • Perform literature survey on self-actuated shutdown systems, perform tradeoff and evaluation of alternatives, identify weaknesses and develop indicated improvements (Section 10)
  • Determine the practicality of fractional distillation as a means of removal of Cs137 from the Na coolant (Section 12)
  • Evaluate the rate of migration of fission gasses in vented fuel from the location of formation to the space above the upper axial blanket (Section 12)
  • Evaluate opportunities for improvements to the SWRPS that would reduce its cost (Section 12)
  • Rethink the RAPS assuming helium is used as the reactor cover gas (Section 12)
  • Identify a coolant, e.g. an advanced version of Dowtherm J, that would be a suitable replacement for NaK (Section 12)
  • Explore the sodium void reactivity associated with the thorium cycle (Section 4)
  • Develop a scholarly argument for the elimination of the double ended guillotine pipe rupture from the PHTS design basis founded on the argument that there is insufficient energy it the primary system to propagate any pipe leakage to double ended break. (Appendix 6)