The Plant Feature and Performance of Double MS (Modular Simplified and Medium Small Reactor)

Abstract

A new concept of a small and medium sized light water reactor, named the double MS: modular simplified and medium small reactor (DMS) was developed. The main features of the DMS relative to overcoming the scale demerit are the miniaturization and simplification of systems and equipment, integrated modulation of construction, standardization of equipment layouts, and effective use of proven technology. The decrease in the primary containment vessel (PCV) height is achieved by reducing the active fuel length of the DMS core, which is about 2 m compared with 3.7 m in the conventional boiling water reactor (BWR). The short active fuel length reduces the drop in core pressure and overcomes the natural circulation system. By using the lower steam velocity in the upper plenum in the reactor pressure vessel (RPV), we can adopt a free surface separation (FSS) system. The FSS eliminates the need for a separator and thus helps minimize the RPV and PCV sizes. In order to confirm transient performance, the DMS plant performance under transient conditions was evaluated using the TRACG code. TRACG code, which can treat multidimensional hydrodynamic calculations in a RPV, is well suited for evaluating the DMS reactor transient performance because it can evaluate the void fraction in the chimney and therefore evaluate the natural circulation flow. As a result, the maximum change in the minimum critical power ratio of the DMS was 0.14, almost the same as for the current advanced boiling water reactor (ABWRs). In order to improve safety efficiency, developing an emergency core cooling system (ECCS) for the DMS was considered. The ECCS configuration in the DMS was examined to achieve core coverage and economic efficiency from the following: (1) eliminating high-pressure injection systems, (2) adopting passive safety-related systems, and (3) optimizing distribution for the systems and power source for the ECCS. In this way, the configuration of the ECCS for the DMS was established, providing the same level of safety as the ABWR and the passive systems. Based on the results of the loss of coolant accident analysis, we confirmed that the core can be covered by this configuration. Therefore, the plant concept was found to offer both economic efficiency and safety.