Missile silos as a safety barrier for research reactors
During the years of the Cold War, vast experience has been accumulated in high-tech engineering structures intended for strategic ICBMs. After the decommissioning of spent missiles, the question arises of what to do next with structures such as missile silos. On the other hand, after severe nuclear accidents, the safety issues of newly constructed nuclear reactor facilities for research and production of isotopes have acquired particular importance. The combination of the accumulated experience in the creation and operation of missile silos with new concepts for ensuring the safety of research reactor installations will significantly expand the possibilities of using reactor technologies to solve scientific and applied problems. At the same time, a number of acute problems are removed, both with the construction of the reactor plant and its dismantling after decommissioning.
In the new concept of a non-volatile reactor facility with a capacity of 25 MW with a neutron flux at the level of 10^15 cm-2*s-1, a three-circuit cooling system is implemented, completely built on the principles of natural circulation of coolants. The intensity of the core cooling is ensured by the high natural circulation height of the primary circuit, and the impossibility of the release of radionuclides during depressurization is guaranteed by the presence of an intermediate circuit made in the form of a thermosyphon. The complete absence of pumps and fittings eliminates the possibility of personnel errors or loss of power supply affecting the safety of the reactor.
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(PDF) Power-independent cooling system for a high-flux research reactor
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