EUROPEAN LEAD FAST REACTOREUROPEAN LEAD FAST REACTOR

The LEADER project aims to define an European Lead Fast Reactor configuration for an industrial-sized (600 MWe, the ELFR) reactor, based on previous results obtained in the frame of the ELSY project, and to develop the conceptual design of ALFRED, the Advanced Lead Fast Reactor European Demonstrator (120 MWe). The objectives of the project activities concerning the ALFRED conceptual design are:

• to define the main suitable characteristic and design guidelines• to design a scaled demonstrator representative of the industrial-sized reactor • to use components/technologies already available in the short term to proceed to a timely construction • to evaluate the safety aspects and to perform a preliminary safety analysis • to minimize the cost of the demonstrator

Moreover the demonstrator shall confirm that the newly developed and adopted materials, both structural material and innovative fuel material, are able to sustain high & fast neutron fluxes and high temperatures.

LEADER Project StructureLEADER Project StructureLEADER Project StructureLEADER Project Structure

ANSALDO AGH CEA CIRTEN EA ENEA KIT-G INR JRC KTH NRG PSI SCKCEN SRS UJV UNIBOAnsaldo Nucleare S.p.A., Akademia Górniczo-Hutnicza,.Commissariat a l’Energie Atomique, Inter Universities Consortium for Nuclear Technological Research, Empresarios Agrupados Internacional S.A., Agenzia Nazionale per le nuove tecnologie, l’energia e lo sviluppo economico sostenibile, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Nuclear

Research, Joint Research Centre of the European Commission, Royal Institute of Technology - Stockholm, Nuclear Research and Consultancy Group, Paul Scherrer Institut, Studiecentrum voor Kernenergie Centre d’Etudes de l’Energie Nucléaire, Servizi di Ricerche e Sviluppo, Ustav Jaderneho Vyzkumu Rez, a.s., Università di Bologna

The LEADER project is subdivided in seven Work Packages + Coordination activities: 

LEADER Project GoalsLEADER Project GoalsLEADER Project GoalsLEADER Project Goals

Safety:

The safety approach of ALFRED complies with the guidelines developed in the Risk and Safety Working Group (RSWG) of the Generation IV International Forum (GIF) and is strongly based on the application of Defence in Depth. Adopting Passive Safety Systems has been a mandatory criteria since the initial phases of the design of ALFRED. Special features like very low pressure drop (overall primary pressure drop is below 1.5 bars) have been enforced as design goals specifically to enhance the natural circulation of the coolant and allow for a significant grace time following an unprotected transients.

ALFRED Key ParametersALFRED Key Parameters

Power 300 MWth (~120 MWe)

Thermal efficiency 40% (or better)

Primary coolant Pure lead

Primary system Pool type, compact

Primary coolant circulation (at power) Forced (mechanical pumps)

Primary system pressure loss (at power) < 1.5 bar

Primary coolant circulation for DHR Natural circulation

Fuel MOX for first loading + consideration for nitrides (with and without MA)

Fuel cladding material 15-15/Ti as a reference (T91 as an option)

Steam Generators 8, integrated in the main vessel

Secondary cycle Water-superheated steam at 180 bar, 335-450°C

Primary pumps 8, mechanical, integrated in the Steam Generators, suction from hot collector

Internals All internals removable

Inner vessel Cylindrical

Hot collector Small-volume, enclosed by the Inner Vessel

Decay Heat Removal2 independent, redundant and diverse DHR systems, 3 out of 4 loops of each system are capable of removing the decay heat

Seismic design 2D isolators supporting the reactor building

ALFRED in the ESNII Road Map

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MYRRHA

ALFRED

WP2 Core Design

WP2 Core Design

WP3Conceptual Design

WP3Conceptual Design

WP4Plant Operation,

Control, Instrumentation, and Protection

WP4Plant Operation,

Control, Instrumentation, and Protection

Design Objectives.Recommendations for waste transmutation, cost minimization and compliance with requirements through design review

RECOMMENDATIONSDATA

Data for compliance with waste transmutation and the GEN IV goals WP7

Education & Training

WP7Education &

Training

All WPs

•Waste transmutation•Cost estimate•Compliance with GEN IV goals

Safety evaluation•Lead Data Base•Validation of key issues

Grow-up the future nuclear energy designer

•Industrial LFR Plant Conceptual Design•Design of the scaled/pilot plant ETDR

Material Properties and Lead Data BaseOxygen ControlSGTR tests

Technology collaboration with

ROSATOM

End-user Advisory

Group

Safety Authority

Advisory Group

WP1Design, Objectives and Specifications

WP1Design, Objectives and Specifications

WP5Safety and

Transient Analysis

WP5Safety and

Transient Analysis

WP6Lead Technology

WP6Lead Technology

Masters thesis topics related & Workshops

WP0Coordination of the Project

WP0Coordination of the Project

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Decay Heat Removal system: One non safety-grade system, i.e. the secondary system, is used for the normal decay heat removal following the reactor shutdown.Two independent, diverse, highly reliable and redundant safety-related Decay Heat Removal systems are used in case of unavailability of the secondary system.

Decay Heat Removal Systems features:Independence is obtained by two different systems with no components in common.Diversity is obtained by two systems based on different physical principles. Redundancy is obtained by 3 out of 4 loops (of each system) capable of removing the decay heat.

Expanding and extending the project:

As a natural follow-on of the project and within ESNII, an on-going effort is currently taking place in order to

ESTABLISH A CONSORTIUM INVOLVING LEADING EU ORGANIZATIONS AND RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS

aimed at evaluating the conceptual design of ALFRED in view of the future construction phase.