FFTF (Fast Flux Test Facility) Fuel Handling Experience (1979--1986).

FFTF (Fast Flux Test Facility) Fuel Handling Experience (1979--1986).
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Release: 1987
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The Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF)is a 400 MW (th) sodium-cooled fast flux test reactor located on the Hanford Site in southeastern Washington State. The FFTF is operated by the Westinghouse Hanford Company for the United States Department of Energy. The FFTF is a three loop plant designed primarily for the purpose of testing full-scale core components in an environment prototypic of future liquid metal reactors. The plant design emphasizes features to enhance this test capability, especially in the area of the core, reactor vessel, and refueling system. Eight special test positions are provided in the vessel head to permit contact instrumented experiments to be installed and irradiated. These test positions effectively divide the core into three sectors. Each sector requires its own In-Vessel Handling Machine (IVHM) to access all the core positions. Since the core and the in-vessel refueling components are submerged under sodium, all handling operations must be performed blind. This puts severe requirements on the positioning ability are reliability of the refueling components. This report addresses the operating experience with the fuel handling system from initial core loading in November, 1979 through 1986. This includes 9 refueling cycles. 2 refs., 8 figs.

FFTF Operating Experience, 1982-1984

FFTF Operating Experience, 1982-1984
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Release: 1984
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The Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF) is a 400 Mwt sodium-cooled fast reactor operating at the Hanford Engineering Development Laboratory, Richland, Washington, to conduct fuels and materials testing in support of the US Liquid Metal Fast Breeder Reactor (LMFBR) program. Startup and initial power testing included a comprehensive series of nonnuclear and nuclear tests to verify the thermal, hydraulic, and neutronic characteristics of the plant. A specially designed series of natural circulation tests were then performed to demonstrate the inherent safety features of the plant. Early in 1982, the FFTF began its first 100-day irradiation cycle. Since that time the plant has operated very well, achieving a cycle capacity factor of 94% in the most recent irradiation cycle. Seventy-five specific test assemblies and 25,000 individual fuel pins have been irradiated, some in excess of 80 MWd/Kg.

Energy Research Abstracts

Energy Research Abstracts
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Total Pages: 660
Release: 1989
Genre: Power resources
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Semiannual, with semiannual and annual indexes. References to all scientific and technical literature coming from DOE, its laboratories, energy centers, and contractors. Includes all works deriving from DOE, other related government-sponsored information, and foreign nonnuclear information. Arranged under 39 categories, e.g., Biomedical sciences, basic studies; Biomedical sciences, applied studies; Health and safety; and Fusion energy. Entry gives bibliographical information and abstract. Corporate, author, subject, report number indexes.

FFTF A History of Safety & Operational Excellence

FFTF A History of Safety & Operational Excellence
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Total Pages: 7
Release: 2002
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The Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF) is a 400-megawatt, sodium-cooled, fast neutron flux reactor owned by the United States Department of Energy (DOE) at the Hanford Site. The reactor was designed and built in the late 1970s and brought on line in 1982 during a period when world interest in development of a liquid metal breeder reactor was high. For approximately 10 years, FFTF operated successfully as a national research facility testing advanced nuclear fuels, materials, components, active and passive reactor safety technologies, and gaining operating experience for the next generation of nuclear reactors. FFTF also produced a wide variety of high purity medical isotopes, made tritium for the U.S. fusion research program, and provided international testing support. The reactor was last operated in 1992 and is proceeding with deactivation.

REVIEW OF FAST FLUX TEST FACILITY (FFTF) FUEL EXPERIMENTS FOR STORAGE IN INTERIM STORAGE CASKS (ISC).

REVIEW OF FAST FLUX TEST FACILITY (FFTF) FUEL EXPERIMENTS FOR STORAGE IN INTERIM STORAGE CASKS (ISC).
Author: S. A. CHASTAIN
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Release: 2005
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Appendix H, Section H.3.3.10.11 of the Final Safety Analysis Report (FSAR), provides the limits to be observed for fueled components authorized for storage in the Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF) spent fuel storage system. Currently, the authorization basis allows standard driver fuel assemblies (DFA), as described in the FSAR Chapter 17, Section 17.5.3.1, to be stored provided decay power per assembly is {le} 250 watts, post-irradiation time is four years minimum, average assembly burn-up is 150,000 MWD/MTHM maximum and the pre-irradiation enrichment is 29.3% maximum (per H.3.3.10.11). In addition, driver evaluation (DE), core characterizer assemblies (CCA), and run-to-cladding-breach (RTCB) assemblies are included based on their similarities to a standard DFA. Ident-69 pin containers with fuel pins from these DFAs can also be stored. Section H.3.3.10.11 states that fuel types outside the specification criteria above will be addressed on a case-by-case basis. There are many different types of fuel and blanket experiments that were irradiated in the FFTF which now require offload to the spent fuel storage system. Two reviews were completed for a portion of these special type fuel components to determine if placement into the Core Component Container (CCC)/Interim Storage Cask (ISC) would require any special considerations or changes to the authorization basis. Project mission priorities coupled with availability of resources and analysts prevented these evaluations from being completed as a single effort. Areas of review have included radiological accident release consequences, radiological shielding adequacy, criticality safety, thermal limits, confinement, and stress. The results of these reviews are available in WHC-SD-FF-RPT-005, Rev. 0 and 1, ''Review of FFTF Fuel Experiments for Storage at ISA'', (Reference I), which subsequently allowed a large portion of these components to be included in the authorization basis (Table H.3.3-21). The report also identified additional components and actions in Section 3.0 and Table 3 that require further evaluation. The purpose of this report is to evaluate another portion of the remaining inventory (i.e., delayed neutron signal fuel, blanket assemblies, highly enriched assemblies, newly loaded Ident-69 pin containers, and returned fuel) to ensure it can be safely off loaded to the FFTF spent fuel storage system.

Progress Report

Progress Report
Author: E. R. Astley
Publisher:
Total Pages: 130
Release: 1965
Genre: Materials testing reactors
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