TCR CENTRAL SHUTDOWN ROD FINE MOTION CONTROL

Venugopal K. Varma, Eliott Fountain, Earle Burkhardt, Sacit Cetiner, Dustin Ottinger

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

Abstract

The Transformational Challenge Reactor (TCR) is a helium-cooled 3 MWt test reactor with a design that leverages advances in materials and manufacturing, computing, and artificial intelligence. Gravity, pneumatics, or springs are typically used to quickly release the central shutdown rod—which contains the neutron absorber—into the reactor core, thus stopping the nuclear reaction. The rod’s motor/actuator typically resides outside the reactor, and the motion is transmitted through a penetration into the pressure vessel. Some control rod designs incorporate magnetic latches with a coil outside the pressure boundary to ensure precise position control. The proposed design comprises a magnetic coupling to position the shutdown rod, with no penetration into the pressure vessel for the entire drive length of TCR shutdown rod. Electromagnets are used in nonpower nuclear reactors for shutdown rod control, but they reside inside the reactor pressure vessel. This paper describes the use of an electromagnet outside the pressure vessel to position and release the shutdown rod. A prototype was developed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory to demonstrate the concept, and the ferritic core and material design was optimized to maximize the electromagnet’s lift force. An elevated temperature test was also conducted to ensure that the system will perform effectively inside an operating reactor.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationI and C, Digital Control, and Influence of Human Factors
PublisherAmerican Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME)
ISBN (Print)9784888982566
DOIs
StatePublished - 2022
Event2022 29th International Conference on Nuclear Engineering, ICONE 2022 - Virtual, Online
Duration: Aug 8 2022Aug 12 2022

Publication series

NameInternational Conference on Nuclear Engineering, Proceedings, ICONE
Volume3

Conference

Conference2022 29th International Conference on Nuclear Engineering, ICONE 2022
CityVirtual, Online
Period08/8/2208/12/22

Funding

This manuscript has been authored by UT-Battelle, LLC, under contract DE-AC05-00OR22725 with the US Department of Energy (DOE). The US government retains and the publisher, by accepting the article for publication, acknowledges that the US government retains a nonexclusive, paid-up, irrevocable, worldwide license to publish or reproduce the published form of this manuscript, or allow others to do so, for US government purposes. DOE will provide public access to these results of federally sponsored research in accordance with the DOE Public Access Plan (http://energy.gov/downloads/doe-public-access-plan).

Keywords

  • electromagnet
  • motion control
  • shutdown rod

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