How does a gas cooled reactor work?
How does a gas cooled reactor work?
Gas-cooled reactor uses gas for inner cycle to bring thermal energy from the fuel elements and transfer it within the heat exchanger to evaporate water. In this design, boron control rods are used to penetrate the moderator and control the reaction.
How does a high-temperature gas cooled reactor work?
A high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR), is a nuclear reactor that uses a graphite moderator with a once-through uranium fuel cycle. The HTR is the predecessor of the Very-high-temperature reactor (VHTR), one of the future Generation IV reactor-models, which initially would work with temperatures of 750 to 950 °C.
Which noble gas is used in gas cooled nuclear reactors?
helium
Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. A gas-cooled reactor (GCR) is a nuclear reactor that uses graphite as a neutron moderator and a gas (carbon dioxide or helium in extant designs) as coolant.
At what temperature does a gas cooled reactor operate?
The advantage of the HTGR is that the moderator, graphite and the coolant, helium, can operate at high-temperature without reacting or deteriorating. A typical HTGR will operate at a pressure of 100 atmospheres and at a temperature of up to 900°C.
What is a fuel stringer?
Seven or eight fuel elements are fixed together vertically by a tie bar which passes through the centre of the elements to form a fuel stringer. An assembly is placed into each of the standpipes, so that the fuel elements are positioned within the graphite core’s fuel channels and are then sealed in by the plug unit.
What does fuel enrichment mean?
The process of increasing the percentage of Uranium-235 from 0.7 percent in natural uranium to about 3 to 5 percent for use in fuel for nuclear reactors. Enrichment can be done through gaseous diffusion, gas centrifuges, or laser isotope separation.
How does TRISO fuel work?
TRISO stands for TRi-structural ISOtropic particle fuel. Each TRISO particle is made up of a uranium, carbon and oxygen fuel kernel. Simply put, TRISO particles cannot melt in a reactor and can withstand extreme temperatures that are well beyond the threshold of current nuclear fuels.
What is the temperature inside the reactor?
Here is another important part of reactor technology: The temperature reached in a nuclear reactor is in the range of 300 degrees Celsius. This is higher than the usual boiling point of water, 100 degrees. But the boiling point of water is not always 100 degrees.
Why is sodium used to cool nuclear reactors?
The sodium-cooled fast reactor (SFR) uses liquid metal (sodium) as a coolant instead of water that is typically used in U.S. commercial power plants. This allows for the coolant to operate at higher temperatures and lower pressures than current reactors—improving the efficiency and safety of the system.
What type of nuclear power reactor uses hydrogen or helium gas for cooling?
The gas-cooled fast reactor (GFR) system is a nuclear reactor design which is currently in development. Classed as a Generation IV reactor, it features a fast-neutron spectrum and closed fuel cycle for efficient conversion of fertile uranium and management of actinides.
