Publication Laka-library:
PEC Experimental capacities (1985)
| Author | ENEA |
| Date | December 1985 |
| Classification | 6.01.2.60/09 (FAST BREEDERS - GENERAL) |
| Front | 
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From the publication:
ENERGIA NUCLEARE PEC EXPERIMENTAL CAPABILITIES Presentation / Reactor description / The PEC experimental programme Experimental activities in support of PEC reactor design ENEA FAST REACTOR DEPARTMENT- PEC UNIT 1. PRESENTATION The PEC reactor represents the major Italian contribution to the FBR Research and Development Program in Europe. It is well established that in order to achieve a full competitiveness of the energy produced by FBRs, both capital and fuel cycle costs have to be reduced with respect to the present situation. As a matter of fact, the power produced by a full standardized PWR plant is expected to be cheaper by a factor of 2, compared with that produced by the SPX-1 power plant. NSSS weight reduction per unit of installed capacity; optimized design of subsystems and components, simpler maintenance procedures, high performance fuel elements and low fabrication and process costs in the fuel cycle services are the main lines to be developed to reduce the gap. In particular a better understanding is needed in order to obtain substantial cost reductions for a given or improved safety level. This last point appears to be relevant in the case of the core and reactor block, where design criteria and specifications based on a sound and realistic safety analysis can allow good economy and high reliability. The PEC reactor and its related facilities are supposed to give an important contribution to this middle and long term strategy. The main line on which PEC will give results will be fuel development in terms of performance and safety analysis. But a reactor designed to carry out research activities can produce information relevant to many other aspects: maintenance procedures, component behaviour, special instrumentation development. The aim of this article is to present the description and the main characteristics of the PEC reactor in a synthetic form. Chapter 2 gives the main features of the reactor block, of the core, of the cooling system and of the fuel handling. In Chapter 3 the experimental channel is described together with its cooling loops and main equipments. Chapter 4 concerns the experimental capabilities; they are presented referring to the grid of experiments indicated by the experts of the ENEA-CEA. Agreement as a necessity for a comprehensive fuel element development. Chapter 5 indicates the experimental loops and rigs designed to support both construction and operation of the PEC reactor.
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