Design Study of the Deep-Sea Reactor X

The deep-sea reactor X (DRX) is a small nuclear plant designed to provide undersea power sources. It has the full advantages of nuclear reactors and can provide large power capacity and does not require oxygen for power production. An application conceivable in the near future is that for a submersible. The Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute is conducting a design study of a 150-kW(electric) DRX plant for a deep-sea research vessel. It has a so-called “integrated pressurized water reactor,” having a steam generator inside the reactor vessel. A pressure shell includes a turbine and a generator as well as a reactor vessel, resulting in a very compact electricity producing plant. It should be easy to operate and have high passive safety characteristics; namely, a short startup time, good reactor response to power demand changes, and passive core flooding and decay heat removal in case of an accident. Transient analyses including those for load follow-up, reactor startup, and accidents have been conducted. The results show that the DRX has excellent inherent characteristics satisfying those requirements.