Design of advanced integral-type marine reactor, MRX

The basic concept of an innovative advanced marine reactor with a passive s afety system, MRX (Marine Reactor X) has been established for the primary a pplication to ship propulsion. The design goals of the reactor system, to b e lightweight and compact, and to be enhanced in safety and reliability, ar e achieved with adoption of new technologies. The MRX is of the integral-ty pe PWR with 100 MW of thermal output. Adoption of a water-filled containmen t makes the MRX extremely lightweight and compact. The total weight and vol ume of MRX is about 1600 tons and 1210 m(3), which is half that of the firs t Japanese nuclear ship, 'Mutsu', reactor, although the reactor power of MR X is three times greater than that of the 'Mutsu' reactor. Numbers of activ e components in the reactor system are greatly reduced, compared with loop type PWRs, by adopting an integral type reactor and the passive system. Saf ety was evaluated by both experiments and analyses. Core damage occurrence frequency estimated by probability safety analysis (PSA) is of two orders s maller than those of existing PWRs. Feasibility study on economics is condu cted by comparing the total operation costs of a nuclear container ship ins talling the MRXs with a diesel engine ship. The nuclear ship has the advant age for greater speed and larger amounts of cargo carried. (C) 2000 Elsevie r Science S.A. All rights reserved.