Achievements of recent research on severe accidents at CEA/IRESNE in support of future nuclear fission technology
Résumé
In the current context of nuclear revival under the constraint of global warming and an ever-increasing world demand for energy, it is essential to take all precautions in the event of a serious accident during the design phase and to review the severe accident mitigation features of existing plants. The current nuclear revival is accompanied by the development of prototypes based on alternative concepts to light water reactors, such as the Sodium-cooled Fast Reactor (SFR), High Temperature Reactor (HTR), Molten Salt Reactor (MSR), which are also under consideration as reactors of reduced power output, or Small Modular Reactors (SMR). This paper summarizes the main outcomes and achievements of the last five years of experimental and numerical research conducted at CEA/IRESNE into prospective severe accidents within Pressurized Water Reactors (PWR) and SFRs.