Sorokin A.P., Gulevich A.V., Klinov D.A., Kuzina Yu.A., Kamaev A.A.,
Ivanov A.P., Alekseev V.V., Morozov A.V.
A.I. Leypunsky Institute for Physics and Power Engineering, Obninsk, Russia
The presented results of neutron-physical, thermophysical, and technological studies have shown that
it is possible in principle to provide the required parameters of a high-temperature (900–950 °С) reactor
installation with a 600 MW reactor (heat) with a sodium coolant for hydrogen production and
other innovative applications based on one of thermochemical cycles or high temperature electrolysis
with a high coefficient of thermal use of electricity. The relative small size, type of coolant, and the
choice of fissile material and structural materials make it possible to create a reactor with intrinsic
properties that provide enhanced nuclear and radiation safety. The possibilities of using heatresistant
radiation-resistant structural materials and using the proposed technology of hightemperature
sodium coolant at a high hydrogen concentration are discussed. The features of the behavior
of a high-temperature complex multicomponent heterogeneous system "sodium coolant – impurities
– structural (technological) materials – protective gas" are analyzed, which are associated
with an exponential temperature dependence of constants characterizing heat and mass transfer processes
(diffusion, permeability, solubility, absorption rate, equilibrium gas pressures, etc.). It has
been shown that the technology system for high-temperature sodium coolant differs significantly from
systems at modern nuclear power plants. With an increase in the intensity of hydrogen sources coming
from the third circuit to the second, compared with BN-600 NPPs by two to three orders of magnitude,
the condition for its implementation is to increase the hydrogen concentration in sodium by
two to three orders of magnitude compared to modern nuclear power plants in combination with the
removal of hydrogen from sodium by evacuation through membranes from vanadium or niobium.
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