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LIQUID METAL FAST BREEDER REACTOR

M Lakshman Kavish
2011CS10229
Group 2
Introduction:
Liquid Metal Fast Breeder Reactor also called as LMFBR shortly is nothing but a Fast
Breeder Reactor with liquid metal coolant. A Fast Breeder Reactor is a nuclear reactor which
produces more fissile product than it takes in. Liquid metal is used as a coolant in fast breeder
reactors mainly to increase the efficiency of the heat transfer system of the reactor. The most
commonly used metal to accomplish heat transfer is sodium lithium is also used to some
extent.
LMFBR overview

Block diagram of LMFBR

MainWorkingofLMFBR:
The plutonium-239 breeder reactor is commonly called a fast breeder reactor, and the
cooling and heat transfer is done by a liquid metal. The metals used commonly for this are
sodium and lithium, with sodium being the most abundant and most commonly used. The fuel
used in a fast breeder reactor needs to be enriched more than that of a light water reactor,
typically 15 to 30%. The reactor fuel is surrounded by a blanket of non-fissionable U-238. No
moderator is used in the breeder reactor since fast neutrons are more efficient in converting U-
238 to Pu-239. At this concentration of U-235, the cross-section for fission with fast neutrons is
sufficient to sustain the chain-reaction. Using water as coolant would slow down the neutrons,
but the use of liquid sodium avoids that moderation and provides a very efficient heat transfer
medium.
The coolant runs through the main core in the same fashion as in the case of water
cooled reactors, picks up heat and runs through heat exchangers releasing the energy to be
used for power generation thereon. The heat from the liquid Sodium is transferred to water in
the second heat exchanger and the steam produced is used to rotate the turbines.

PrinciplebehindusingSodium:
Liquid Sodium if the most used coolant for the fast breeder reactors. Sodium is a solid at
room temperature but melts at 98C. It has a wide working temperature since the boiling point
of Sodium is 892C. The temperature at which the reactor works is within this range so no
pressurization is required as in the case of light water coolant. It has a large specific heat so that
it is an efficient heat-transfer fluid. Liquid metal is mainly used for fast breeder and light water
for normal reactors because the water when used as coolant also acts as a moderator but not
liquid metal which is useful in the case of fast breeder reactors.
AdvantagesofusingSodiumasacoolant:
As discussed above there are lot of advantages using Sodium as a coolant.
Large gap between melting and boiling point which also includes the temperature of
working of the reactor so efficient heat transfer is possible without pressurizing.
Sodium coolants have high heat capacity which provides thermal inertia against
overheating.
In fast breeder reactors no moderator is used but water when used also acts as a
moderator so Sodium is better to be used because Sodium atoms are much heavier than
Hydrogen and Oxygen so neutrons loose less energy when collided with.
DisadvantagesofusingSodiumasacoolant:
The main disadvantage of using Sodium as a coolant is its chemical reactivity. It reacts
with water and air explosively so precautions need to be taken very carefully. This was
the case at the Monju Nuclear Power Plant in a 1995 accident.
Neutrons cause Sodium to become radioactive. However, activated sodium has a half-life of only
15 hours.
Liquid coolants are opaque so it is tough to repair the setup if found malfunctioning.
OtherCoolantsUsedandtheirPropertiesinbrief:
Mercury was the very first liquid metal used for cooling and also thought of as a best
choice as it is liquid at room temperature but its disadvantages include high toxicity,
high vapor pressure even at room temperature, low boiling point, producing noxious
fumes when heated, relatively low thermal conductivity,

and a high

neutron cross
section, it has fallen out of favor.
Lead has excellent neutron properties (reflection, low absorption) and is a very potent
radiation shield against gamma rays. Lead has very high boiling point so it can cool the
reactor which is working at a very high temperature. However, because lead has a high
melting point and a high vapor pressure, it is difficult to refuel a lead cooled reactor and
also maintain. The melting point can be lowered by alloying the lead with bismuth, but
lead-bismuth eutectic is highly corrosive to most metals used for structural materials.
Tin Although tin until today is not used as a coolant for working reactors as it builds a
crust, it can be a useful additional or replacement coolant at nuclear disasters or loss of
coolant accidents.
Otheruses:
Liquid metal cooled reactors are used for propulsion purposes in submarines and
nuclear aircrafts for example The Soviet November class submarine K-27 and all seven Alfa-
class submarines used reactors cooled by a lead-bismuth alloy. The only submarine to use
Sodium cooled nuclear reactor is USS Seawolf

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