Friends, today in this article we will learn about gas cooled reactor, I am going to give information about all these in a very good way. So let’s start.
Gas cooled reactor-
This is a gas reactor in which rich fuel is used. Stainless steel or zirconium alloys are used as a protective coating on the fuel. In this reactor, light or heavy water is used as coolant and moderator. As per the figure, in the primary circuit, the coolant absorbs heat in the reactor and transfers it to the heat exchanger. In the steam circuit, condenser-water is circulated and steam is produced, which runs the turbo-generator.
The coolant in the reactor is operated at high pressure (about 140 kj/m²) due to which the coolant does not boil even at high temperature (about 290°C). On this basis, this reactor has been named as air conditioned water reactor.
Advantages
- There is no problem of cladding of metallic fuel.
- There is no problem of any kind of corrosion.
- Graphite remains stable under radiation at high temperature.
- By using carbon dioxide as coolant, the problem of any kind of explosion in the reactor is eliminated.
- Uranium carbide and graphite are also capable of resisting high temperature, hence there is no complex problem in limiting the temperature of the fuel.
Disadvantages
- Due to low thermal expansion coefficient, the power density is very low. Hence large vessels are required.
- If helium is used instead of CO2, then gas leakage is a very complex problem.
- Critical mass is very high, so initially high fuel quantity is required.
- Due to low negative coefficient, control is more complex and helium is not able to absorb neutrons.
What did you learn today:-
Now you must have known about gas cooled reactor, you must have got the answer to all these questions well.
I hope you liked the information given by me, if you have any question/suggestion in your mind, then you can tell me by commenting below, I will definitely answer your comment. If you liked this post, then you can also share it with your friends and relatives.