Abstract
By now, a good deal of experience has been gained with using liquid metals as coolants in nuclear power installations; extensive knowledge has been gained about the physical, thermophysical, and physicochemical properties of these coolants; and the scientific principles and a set of methods and means for handling liquid metals as coolants for nuclear power installations have been elaborated. Prototype and commercialgrade sodium-cooled NPP power units have been developed, including the BOR-60, BN-350, and BN-600 power units (the Soviet Union); the Rapsodie, Phenix, and Superphenix power units (France), the EBR-II power unit (the United States); and the PFR power unit (the United Kingdom). In Russia, dedicated nuclear power installations have been constructed, including those with a lead-bismuth coolant for nuclear submarines and with sodium-potassium alloy for spacecraft (the Buk and Topol installations), which have no analogs around the world. Liquid metals (primarily lithium and its alloy with lead) hold promise for use in thermonuclear power engineering, where they can serve not only as a coolant, but also as tritium-producing medium. In this article, the physicochemical properties of liquid metal coolants, as well as practical experience gained from using them in nuclear and thermonuclear power engineering and in innovative technologies are considered, and the lines of further research works are formulated. New results obtained from investigations carried out on the Pb-Bi and Pb for the SVBR and BREST fast-neutron reactors (referred to henceforth as fast reactors) and for controlled accelerator systems are described.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
V. I. Subbotin, Reflections on Nuclear Power Engineering (OEEP RAN, St. Petersburg, 1995) [in Russian].
Liquid Metals from the First Thermophysical Experimental Setup to Large-Scale Nuclear Power Engineering, Ed. by A. D. Efanov and F. A. Kozlov (GNTs RF-FEI, Obninsk, 2001) [in Russian].
V. I. Rachkov, “Nuclear power engineering as a factor of utmost importance for sustainable development of Russia in the 21st century,” Energosber. Vodopodg., No. 6, 2–4 (2006).
V. I. Rachkov, A. V. Tyurin, V. I. Usanov, and A. P. Voshchinin, Effectiveness of Nuclear Power Technology: System Criteria and Development Lines (TsNIIatominform, Moscow, 2008) [in Russian].
E. O. Adamov, A. V. Dzhalavyan, A. V. Lopatkin, N. A. Molokanov, E. V. Murav’ev, V. V. Orlov, S. G. Kalyakin, V. I. Rachkov, V. M. Troyanov, E. N. Avrorin, V. B. Ivanov, and R. M. Aleksakhin, “Conceptual provisions of the strategy for development of Russia’s nuclear power industry in the outlook up to 2100,” At. Energ. 112(6), 319–330 (2012).
V. I. Subbotin, M. N. Ivanovskii, and M. N. Arnol’dov, Physicochemical Principles of Using Liquid Metal Coolants (Atomizdat, Moscow, 1970) [in Russian].
V. M. Poplavsky, A. D. Efanov, F. A. Kozlov, Yu. I. Orlov, A. P. Sorokin, A. S. Korotkov, and Yu. Ye. Shtynda, “Liquid metal coolants technology for fast reactors,” in Proceedings of the International Conference on Fast Reactors and Related Fuel Cycles: Challenges and Opportunities (FR09), Kyoto, Japan, December 7–9, 2009, KN-02.
F. A. Kozlov, L. G. Volchkov, E. K. Kuznetsov, and V. V. Matyukhin, “Liquid Metal Coolants of Nuclear Power Installations: Purification from Impurities and Their Monitoring,” Ed. by F. A. Kozlov (Energoatomizdat, Moscow, 1983) [in Russian].
F. A. Kozlov, V. V. Alexeev, Yu. I. Zagorulko, G. P. Ser- geev, L. G. Volchkov, and T. A. Vorobjeva, “The summary of the sodium coolant technology development in application to LMFBRs,” in Working Material to the TM on the Coordinated Project (CRP) “Analysis of the Lessons Learned from the Operational Experience with Fast Reactor Equipment and Systems,” Obninsk, February 14–18, 2005, TM-27172, TM-26984, TWG-FR/123 (IAEA, Vienna, 2005), pp. 237–259.
OST (Industry Branch Standard) 95 10582-2003: Reactor-Grade-Purity Sodium for BN Reactors. Technical Requirements and Impurity Monitoring Methods.
V. V. Alekseev, Yu. P. Kovalev, S. G. Kalyakin, F. A. Kozlov, V. Ya. Kumaev, A. S. Kondrat’ev, V. V. Matyukhin, E. P. Pirogov, G. P. Sergeev, A. P. Sorokin, and I. Yu. Torbenkova, “Sodium coolant purification systems for a nuclear power station equipped with a BN-1200 reactor,” Therm. Eng. 60(5), 311 (2013), DOI: 10.1134/S0040363613050019.
V. I. Rachkov, V. M. Poplavskii, A. M. Tsibulya, Yu. E. Bagdasarov, B. A. Vasil’ev, Yu. L. Kamanin, S. L. Osipov, N. G. Kuzavkov, V. I. Ershov, and M. R. Ashirmetov, “The concept of a prospective power unit equipped with the BN-1200 fast-neutron sodium-cooled reactor,” At. Energ. 108(4), 201–205 (2010).
B. F. Gromov and Yu. I. Orlov, “The problem of heavy liquid metal coolants (lead-bismuth and lead) technology,” in Proceedings of the International Conference TZhMT-98, Obninsk, 1998 (GNTs RF-FEI, Obninsk, 1998), Vol. 1.
A. Zrodnikov, A. Efanov, Yu. Orlov, and P. Martinov, “Heavy liquid metal coolant technology (Pb-Bi, Pb),” in Proceedings of the 10th ISTC SAC Seminar “Advanced Nuclear Fuel Cycle for the 21st Century,” Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, September 2007.
Yu. I. Orlov, A. D. Efanov, P. N. Martynov, V. A. Gulevsky, A. K. Papovyants, Yu. D. Levchenko, and V. V. Ulyanov, “Hydrodynamic problems of heavy liquid metal coolants technology in loop-type and monoblock-type reactor installations,” Nucl. Eng. Design 237, 1829–1837 (2007).
M. N. Arnol’dov, M. N. Ivanovskii, N. I. Loginov, V. A. Morozov, and A. L. Shimkevich, “Development of lithium and sodium-potassium alloy technology for space nuclear power installations,” in The Institute for Physics and Power Engineering Turns Fifty (TsNIIatominform, 1996), pp. 254–265.
V. I. Subbotin, M. N. Arnol’dov, M. N. Ivanovskii, A. A. Mosin, and A. A. Tarbov, Lithium (IzdAT, Moscow, 1999) [in Russian].
P. N. Martynov, R. Sh. Askhadulin, I. V. Yagodkin, A. N. Storozhenko, and A. A. Simakov, “Innovative technologies developed at the State Scientific Center of the Russian Federation-the Institute for Energy and Power Engineering,” Atom, No. 53, 39–46 (2011).
V. I. Subbotin, M. N. Arnol’dov, F. A. Kozlov, and A. L. Shimkevich, “Liquid metal coolants for nuclear power engineering,” At. Energ. 92(1), 31–42 (2002).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Original Russian Text © V.I. Rachkov, M.N. Arnol’dov, A.D. Efanov, S.G. Kalyakin, F.A. Kozlov, N.I. Loginov, Yu.I. Orlov, A.P. Sorokin, 2014, published in Teploenergetika.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Rachkov, V.I., Arnol’dov, M.N., Efanov, A.D. et al. Use of liquid metals in nuclear and thermonuclear engineering, and in other innovative technologies. Therm. Eng. 61, 337–347 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1134/S0040601514050085
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S0040601514050085
Keywords
- nuclear power engineering
- thermonuclear power engineering
- nuclear power installations
- fast reactors
- vehicle installations
- space reactors
- controlled accelerator systems
- liquid metals
- sodium
- lithium
- lead
- lead-bismuth
- thermophysical properties
- physicochemical processes
- impurities
- technology of coolants
- state monitoring
- removal of impurities
- nonreactor technologies