BOR-60

BOR-60
Reactor conceptFast-neutron reactor[1]
StatusExpected to shutdown in 2025[2]
LocationDimitrovgrad, Russia, Russia
Main parameters of the reactor core
Fuel (fissile material)MOX (UO2-PuO2)[3]
Neutron energy spectrumFast
Primary coolantSodium[3]
Reactor usage
Power (thermal)60 MW[3]
Power (electric)12 MW[3]

The BOR-60 is an operational Russian research sodium-cooled fast reactor designed to test nuclear fuels, structural materials and coolants, as well as scientific experiments under fast neutron irradiation.[1]

History

The BOR-60 reactor was constructed to perform tests for the commercial BN-350, BN-600 and BN-800 reactors, which also use fast neutron breeding.[4] Construction began in 1964, and it reached first criticality in 1968.[4] It was commissioned the following year, in 1969.[1]

Originally it used highly enriched uranium, but in 1981 it switched over to burning MOX fuel containing weapons-grade plutonium from decommissioned nuclear warheads.[5]

BOR-60 was intended to be decommissioned in 2010,[5] but was prolonged until 2025, after which the MBIR will replace it.[2]

In 2025 a new technology is being developed for processing of radioactive liquid sodium for proper decommissioning of fast neutron reactors such as BOR-60 and BN-350 (in future it can be used when BN-600 and BN-800 reach the end of life).[6]

Reactor design

The BOR-60 reactor is designed to operate on a mixed-oxide MOX fuel, based on UO2 (highly enriched uranium, 45%-90% 235U) and PuO2.[7] The reactor is mainly constructed out of stainless steel.[8]

Core

Diagram of the reactor core of the BOR-60 experimental fast-neutron reactor. (Note that the fuel and blanket assemblies can be easily interchanged)
Grey: fuel assemblies
White: blank assemblies
Blue: experimental material assemblies
Green: experimental fuel assemblies
Red: control rods
Yellow: experimentation channels

The core is made up of a hexagonal grid containing 265 separate elements, with fuel channels, control rods, various experimental assemblies and an outer section of solid blanket assemblies (blanks).[8] The reactor vessel also has several experimentation channels in the outer hull, with widths varying from 90 mm to 230 mm.[9]

Coolant

The reactor is a sodium-cooled fast reactor, which uses liquid sodium as the coolant.[4] It uses two separate sodium loops, and these are connected to a main water-cooled loop which feeds the steam generators and turbines for producing electricity.[8] The sodium coolant is pressurized to 5.5 MPa, and is heated to over 500 °C in the reactor.[7]

Capabilities

BOR-60 allows for wide-scale tests of fuels, materials, coolants and detectors for various fast reactors.[10] It is capable or burning a wide range of fuels, including weapons-grade material, as well as various metallic, oxide, nitride and carbide variations.[5] Thus it has been used to test fuels and reactor physics for a wide array of reactors, such as the BN-350, BN-600 and BN-800, as well as the MBIR and proposed BREST-300 lead-cooled reactors.[4][11]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "Fast Reactor BOR-60". niiar.ru. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Pilot fuel elements produced for MBIR reactor". www.neimagazine.com. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d "Parameters". niiar.ru. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d "Russia Completes Design Work For New Fast Reactor". nucnet.org. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
  5. ^ a b c "BOR-60 reactor as an instrument for experimental substantiation of fuel rods for advanced NPPs". inis.iaea.org. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
  6. ^ "Rosatom develops technology for processing radioactive liquid sodium". world-nuclear-news.org. 2025-04-03. Retrieved 2025-04-03.
  7. ^ a b "Parameters". niiar.ru. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
  8. ^ a b c "Prolongation of the BOR-60 reactor operation". Researchgate.net. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
  9. ^ "Core Arrangement". niiar.ru. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
  10. ^ "Experimental Capabilities". niiar.ru. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
  11. ^ Grachev, A. F.; Zherebtsov, A. A.; Zabud'Ko, L. M.; Zvir, E. A.; Kryukov, F. N.; Nikitin, O. N.; Skupov, M. V.; Ivanov, Yu. A.; Porollo, S. I. (2019). "Results of Investigations of BREST-Type Reactor Fuel Rods with Mixed Uranium-Plutonium Nitride Fuel, Irradiated in BOR-60 and BN-600". Atomic Energy. 125 (5): 314–321. doi:10.1007/s10512-019-00487-4. Retrieved 14 September 2024.

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