Project description
Boosting the safety of advanced Generation IV liquid metal-cooled nuclear reactors
Nuclear power has a key role to play in our sustainable, greener energy transition. The technology has come a long way since the first reactors developed in the 1950s and 1960s and Generation IV reactors are currently under development. Among them is the lead-cooled fast reactor. The EU-funded ANSELMUS project will contribute significantly to the safety assessment of such heavy liquid metal systems. It will identify all verification and validation needs, experimentally validate key safety related sub-systems, improve the validation of numerical models describing the fuel assembly and explore safety monitoring and inspection. Finally, ANSELMUS will assess the societal impact of HLM reactors by assessing the integration of LFR in a mixed energy landscape.
Objective
The importance of low carbon energy sources in the efforts against rapid climate change makes nuclear energy part of a sustainable energy mix. Although there have been years of experience feedback with water cooled reactors, fundamental improvement, particularly regarding intrinsic safety and reduced nuclear waste generation is possible using advanced nuclear designs. Heavy metal cooled systems such as the lead fast reactor (LFR) combine the advantages of a fast reactor system that reduces waste with the intrinsic safety related properties such as the high boiling point, chemical inertia and improved heat transfer.
ANSELMUS responds to the Horizon-Euratom -2021-NRT-01-02 call ?Safety of advanced and innovative nuclear designs and fuels. Its objective is to contribute significantly to the safety assessment of heavy-liquid-metal (HLM) systems, in particular ALFRED and MYRRHA as these are included in the roadmap for the development of advanced systems in Europe. It will use the maturity of both designs to create two detailed phenomena identification and ranking tables (PIRT) that identify all verification and validation needs and are used for further safety evaluation. The project will also experimentally validate key safety related sub-systems including the safety rods, failed fuel pin detection and the coolant chemistry control system. We also will improve the validation of numerical models describing the fuel assembly through experiments and simulations and work on reactor safety monitoring and inspection of HLM systems focusing on high temperature vessel inspection.
Moreover, ANSELMUS will look into the societal impact of HLM reactors by assessing the integration of LFR in a mixed energy landscape, including economical aspects, and by addressing social and ethical considerations of advanced nuclear technologies. Finally, a dedicated effort will be put into education and dissemination towards all stakeholders including policy makers and the general public.
Fields of science
- engineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringenergy and fuelsnuclear energy
- natural sciencesphysical sciencesclassical mechanicsfluid mechanicsfluid dynamicscomputational fluid dynamics
- natural sciencescomputer and information sciencessoftwaresoftware applicationssimulation software
- natural sciencesmathematicsapplied mathematicsmathematical model
Programme(s)
Topic(s)
Funding Scheme
EURATOM-RIA - EURATOM Research and Innovation ActionsCoordinator
1160 Bruxelles / Brussel
Belgium