Design and prospects of small multifunctional pool research reactor

Xiaoliang CHEN; Peng HAN; Jiyin ZHU; Jiachen ZHU

doi:10.11889/j.0253-3219.2025.hjs.48.240303

名称

Name

国家

Nation

热功率

Thermal Power / MW

燃料类型

（材料/几何形状）

Fuel type

(materials/geometry)

富集度

Enrichment

密度

Density

/ $g U \cdot c m^{- 3}$

最大热中子通量密度

Max thermal

Neutron flux density / $n \cdot c m^{- 2} \cdot s^{- 1}$

应用场景/能谱

Application scenarios/Neutron spectrum

IRV-M2^[4-6]

Russia

2.0

UO₂/棒状Rod

36.00%

—

1.40×10¹³

—

IEA-R1

Brazil

5.0

U₃Si₂/板状Plate

19.90%

3.00

1.15×10¹⁴

①②③⑤⑥⑦

RA-3^[7-8]

Argentina

3.0

U₃O₈/板状Plate

19.75%

4.80

8.00×10¹³

①⑤⑦⑧

RA-6^[9-10]

Argentina

1.0

U₃Si₂/板状Plate

19.75%

4.80

1.50×10¹³

①②⑤⑦

NUR

Algeria

1.0

U₃O₈/板状Plate

19.70%

2.96

5.00×10¹³

①②③⑤⑥

RECH-1^[11^-

^12]

Chile

5.0

U₃Si₂/板状Plate

19.75%

4.80

7.00×10¹³

①②③⑤⑥⑧

Apsara-U^[13-14]

India

2.0

U₃Si₂/板状Plate

17.00%

4.30

6.10×10¹³

①②③⑤

TRR^[15]

Iran

5.0

U₃O₈/板状Plate

20.00%

4.80

1.00×10¹⁴

①②④⑤⑥⑦⑧

IRR-1

Israel

5.0

UAl_x/板状Plate

93.00%

0.68

5.00×10¹³

②⑤⑥

JRTR^[16-17]

Jordan

5.0

U₃Si₂/板状Plate

19.75%

4.80

1.45×10¹⁴

①⑤

WWR-K^[18-19]

Kazakhstan

6.0

UO₂/棒状Rod

19.70%

2.80

1.00×10¹²

①②④⑤⑦⑧

HOR^[20]

Netherland

2.3

U₃Si₂/板状Plate

19.75%

4.30

4.60×10¹³

①③⑤

PARR-1^[21-22]

Pakistan

10.0

U₃Si₂/板状Plate

19.99%

—

1.70×10¹⁴

①②③⑤⑥

RP-10^[23-24]

Peru

10.0

U₃Si₂/板状Plate

19.75%

2.30

1.21×10¹⁴

①②③⑤⑥

MURR

USA

10.0

UAl_x/板状Plate

93.00%

1.43

6.00×10¹⁴

①③④⑤

RINSC^[25-26]

USA

2.0

U₃Si₂/板状Plate

19.75%

4.80

2.00×10¹³

⑤

UMLRR^[27-28]

USA

1.0

U₃Si₂/板状Plate

19.75%

4.80

1.40×10¹³

—

BTRR^[29]

Bengal

3.0

UZrH/棒状Rod

19.70%

—

7.50×10¹³

①②③⑤

MA-R1

Morocco

2.0

UZrH/棒状Rod

19.75%

5.90

4.40×10¹³

①⑤⑥

TRIGA-MarkIII^[30-31]

Mexico

1.0

UZrH/棒状Rod

20.00%

6.11

3.00×10¹³

①⑤

燃料类型

Fuel type

优点

Advantages

缺点

Disadvantages

用途

Applicable scenarios

U₃O₈-Al

热稳定性好；熔点高；辐照稳定性好；对包壳和冷却剂具有良好的相容性；抗腐蚀能力强

Good thermal stability; high melting point; good irradiation stability; good compatibility with cladding and coolant; strong corrosion resistance

相较其他金属弥散体燃料热导率小；密度低；辐照时芯块温差大

Compared with other metal dispersion fuels, it has lower thermal conductivity, lower density and a larger temperature difference in the core during irradiation.

适用于低燃耗、低功率、低温研究堆

Generally suitable for low-burnup, low-power, low-temperature research reactors

UAl_x-Al

高密度UAl_x燃料内部铀的均匀性较好；抗腐蚀能力强；不易发生燃料肿胀

The uranium inside the fuel has good uniformity, strong corrosion resistance and is less likely to swell.

燃料铀密度相较铀硅燃料低

The density of uranium fuel is lower than that of uranium silicon fuel.

适用于低燃耗、低功率、低温研究堆

Generally suitable for low-burnup, low-power, low-temperature reactors

U₃Si₂-Al

铀密度较高，且与基体的相容性较好；在破损状态下与水仅发生极轻微的反应；燃耗深

Uranium has a high density and good compatibility with the matrix; it reacts only slightly with water in a damaged state; and it has a deep burnup.

不适用于高功率密度研究堆；Si导热性能较金属差且后处理困难

It is not suitable for high power density research reactors; the thermal conductivity of Si is poorer than that of metals and post-processing is difficult.

适用于中小功率研究堆或低功率密度研究堆

It is suitable for small and medium power research reactors or low power density research reactors,

U-Mo

密度和热导率较高；具备良好的辐照性能；可用于高功率研究堆；后处理简单；明显提高燃料循环周期

It has high density and thermal conductivity, good irradiation performance, can be used in high-power research reactors, has simple post-processing, and can significantly improve the fuel cycle.

制造技术不成熟；弥散燃料出现肿胀及燃料与基体化学反应等问题；合金燃料成型燃料板产出率较低

The manufacturing technology is immature; the dispersed fuel has problems such as swelling and chemical reaction between the fuel and the matrix; the output rate of alloy fuel molded fuel plates is low.

适用于高功率密度研究堆，能更好发挥燃料本身优异性能

It is suitable for high power density research reactors and can better bring into play the excellent performance of the fuel itself.

UZrH

燃料安全性能较好；后处理方便；密度高；导热性好；具备良好裂变产物包容能力

It has good fuel safety performance; easy post-processing; high density; good thermal conductivity; and good fission product containment capacity.

容易发生包壳应变和腐蚀

Prone to cladding strain and corrosion

适用于低燃耗、低功率、低温研究堆

Suitable for low-burnup, low-power, low-temperature research reactors

名称（燃料富集度）

Name (Enrichment of fuel)

热功率

Thermal power / MW

最大热中子通量密度

Max thermal neutron flux density $/ n \cdot c m^{- 2} \cdot s^{- 1}$

品质因子

Quality factor

IEA-R1（19.9%）

1.15 \times 10^{14}

0.230

JRTR（19.75%）

1.45 \times 10^{14}

0.290

Grenoble（93%）

1.5 \times 10^{15}

0.263

CARR（19.75%）

1.0 \times 10^{15}

0.167

ORPHEE（93%）

3.0 \times 10^{14}

0.214

PIK（90%）

100

4.0 \times 10^{15}

0.400

KMRR（19.75%）

5.3 \times 10^{14}

0.178

堆芯结构

Core structure

优点

Advantages

缺点

Disadvantages

中子阱型

Neutron trap

栅距大；堆初始剩余反应性较高；循环周期较长

The larger the grid pitch, the higher the initial residual reactivity of the stack and the longer the cycle period

堆外水池热中子、超热中子通量密度较低

The flux density of thermal neutrons and epithermal neutrons in the external water pool is relatively low.

反中子阱型 Anti-neutron trap

堆芯紧凑；堆品质因子及中子通量密度高；具备堆芯中子能谱分区特点；堆慢化剂温度反应性系数具有更大的负值，安全性高

The reactor core is compact; the reactor quality factor and neutron flux density are high; it has the characteristics of core neutron spectrum zoning; the reactor moderator has a more negative temperature reactivity coefficient and high safety.

紧凑型堆芯栅距较小，堆芯热流密度高，较难实现堆的大功率运行

The compact core has a small grid pitch and a high core heat flux density, making it difficult to achieve high-power operation of the reactor.

燃料元件结构 Fuel element structure

优点

Advantages

缺点

Disadvantages

棒状 Rod

棒状燃料发展和使用较为成熟，在元件外壁设置绕丝，可减少棒的机械振动并提高燃料换热能力

The development and use of rod-shaped fuel is relatively mature. Setting wire winding on the outer wall of the element can reduce the mechanical vibration of the rod and improve the fuel heat exchange capacity.

相较其他结构，换热性能较差，对热工要求较高

Compared with other structures, the heat exchange performance is poor and the thermal engineering requirements are higher.

渐开线

Involute

可在燃料组件内部加入辐照装置或控制棒；具有较好的整体刚度、机械强度和流动阻力特性；易于堆芯紧凑，具备双流道，适合大功率运行

Irradiation devices or control rods can be added inside the fuel assembly; it has good overall stiffness, mechanical strength and flow resistance characteristics; Easy to compact the reactor core, it has dual flow channels, suitable for high-power operation.

不易于进行大尺寸和多数目的孔道布置；渐开线燃料组件实施整体换料，出堆平均燃耗较浅

It is not easy to arrange large-size and multi-purpose channels. The involute fuel assembly is replaced as a whole, and the average fuel out of the stack is shallow.

平板状

Flate

表面积/体积比较大，导热性能好；具备良好的机械性能和热稳定性；结构灵活，可布置大量孔道

It has a large surface area/volume ratio and good thermal conductivity; Good mechanical properties; Structure is flexible and a large number of channels can be arranged.

板状燃料元件间距小，容易出现冷却剂流道堵塞事故

The spacing between plate-shaped fuel elements is small and the coolant flow path is prone to clogging accidents.

曲板状

Curved plate

表面积/体积比较大，导热性能较好；易于堆芯紧凑，减小堆芯体积 It has a large surface area/volume ratio, good thermal conductivity. It is easy to compact the core and reduce the core volume.

板状燃料元件间距小，容易出现冷却剂流道堵塞事故 The spacing between plate-shaped fuel elements is small and the coolant flow path is prone to clogging accidents.

环形燃料

Annular fuel

具备较大的表面积/体积比，导热性能较好，能大幅降低燃料峰值温度，适用于高性能研究堆

It has a large surface area/volume ratio, good thermal conductivity, can reduce the peak fuel temperature, and is suitable for high-performance research reactors.

环形燃料元件研发面对各种工程安全问题

The development of annular fuel elements faces various engineering safety issues

应用分类

Application classification

应用场景

Application scenarios

能谱

Neutron spectrum

中子通量密度

Neutron flux density / $n \cdot c m^{- 2} \cdot s^{- 1}$

孔道直径

Channel diameter / cm

同位素生产

Mo-99

E<0.625 eV

1.0 ~ 1.5 \times 10^{14}

5.2

Isotope production

Ir-192 (Industry)

E<0.625 eV

1.0 ~ 1.5 \times 10^{14}

5.2

Ir-192 (Medical)/Lu-177

E<0.625 eV

2.0 \times 10^{14}

5.2

材料、燃料考验

Material and fuel test

反应堆结构材料

Reactor structural materials

E>0.1 MeV

3.0 \times 10^{14}

燃料板Fuel plate

E<0.625 eV

1.0 \times 10^{14}

―

压力容器

Pressure vessel

E>0.1 MeV

1.0 \times 10^{14}

水平孔道

Horizontal tunnel

冷中子束流Cold neutron beam

E<0.01 MeV

1.0 \times 10^{9}

―

热中子束流

Thermal neutron beam

E<0.1 MeV

1.0 \times 10^{9}

―

其他应用

NTD

E<0.625 eV

1.0 ~ 4.0 \times 10^{13}

10~30

Other application

NAA (Thermal)

E<0.625 eV

1.0 ~ 20 \times 10^{13}

3~5

热中子散射Thermal neutron scattering

E<0.625 eV

1.0 \times 10^{15}

―

热柱Hot column

E<0.625 eV

> $1.0 \times 10^{15}$

热中子份额

Thermal neutron share>90%

―

BNCT

0.625 eV<E<0.1 MeV

超热中子Epithermal neutron> $1.0 \times 10^{10}$

快中子成分Fast neutron component< $2.0 \times 10^{- 13} G y ∙ c {m^{-}}^{2} \cdot n^{- 1}$

γ射线成分Gamma ray components < $2.0 \times 10^{- 13} G y ∙ c {m^{-}}^{2} \cdot n^{- 1}$

热中子通量占比Thermal neutron flux proportion<0.05

中子束斑直径

Neutron beam spot diameter

12~14

Xiaoliang CHEN, Peng HAN, Jiyin ZHU, Jiachen ZHU. Design and prospects of small multifunctional pool research reactor[J]. NUCLEAR TECHNIQUES, 2025, 48(3): 030002

Category: INVITED REVIEW

Received: Aug. 4, 2024

Accepted: --

Published Online: Apr. 15, 2025

The Author Email: Xiaoliang CHEN (cxl1101@sina.com)

DOI:10.11889/j.0253-3219.2025.hjs.48.240303

Table 1. Summary of small pool research reactor parameters for implementing the RERTR project (including plans)

Table 1. Summary of small pool research reactor parameters for implementing the RERTR project (including plans)

Table 2. Summary of fuel type characteristics of future small research reactor

Table 2. Summary of fuel type characteristics of future small research reactor

Table 3. Quality factors of different research reactors^[59-60]

Table 3. Quality factors of different research reactors^[59-60]

Table 4. Summary of fuel type characteristics of future small research reactor

Table 4. Summary of fuel type characteristics of future small research reactor

Table 5. Research reactor application scenarios and reactor performance requirements^{[9, 63]}

Table 5. Research reactor application scenarios and reactor performance requirements^{[9, 63]}

Table 1. Summary of small pool research reactor parameters for implementing the RERTR project (including plans)

Table 1. Summary of small pool research reactor parameters for implementing the RERTR project (including plans)

Table 2. Summary of fuel type characteristics of future small research reactor

Table 2. Summary of fuel type characteristics of future small research reactor

Table 3. Quality factors of different research reactors[59-60]

Table 3. Quality factors of different research reactors[59-60]

Table 4. Summary of fuel type characteristics of future small research reactor

Table 4. Summary of fuel type characteristics of future small research reactor

Table 5. Research reactor application scenarios and reactor performance requirements[9, 63]

Table 5. Research reactor application scenarios and reactor performance requirements[9, 63]

Table 3. Quality factors of different research reactors^[59-60]

Table 3. Quality factors of different research reactors^[59-60]

Table 5. Research reactor application scenarios and reactor performance requirements^{[9, 63]}

Table 5. Research reactor application scenarios and reactor performance requirements^{[9, 63]}