2023-10-25 22:00:00
Gas coolant reactors, moderated with graphite and metallic natural uranium, enabled Great Britain and France to build the first nuclear power plants for the production of electricity (MAGNOX and UNGG sectors). When the possibility of having enriched uranium became clear, France turned to pressurized water reactors while Great Britain continued with the gas coolant solution. To do this, it relied on feedback from MAGNOX reactors (CO2 heat transfer reactors, with metallic natural uranium fuel, graphite moderator) by developing a specific sector: that of AGR (Advanced Gas cooled Reactor). The new direction consisted of the use of slightly enriched fuel and the transition from metallic fuel to steel-clad oxide rod fuel. This choice made it possible to implement a high temperature thermal cycle whose efficiency reached 42% and to bring the discharge irradiation rate around 44 GWd/t. By opting for a specific reactor associated with the oxide fuel cycle, future developments towards gas or sodium cooled fast neutron reactors under study thus remained open. This fuel solution also allows irradiated fuel to be stored in a pool over long periods of time, unlike MAGNOX fuel.
After a brief historical reminder of the implementation of AGR, this article presents the main characteristics of this sector: general architecture, concrete tank/caisson, core, graphite structure, neutronics, fuel management, cooling circuits, design plan ‘together. A comparison with MAGNOX reactors and a brief analysis of the advantages and particular points of AGR are also provided. In 2023, this sector, which constitutes the main component of the nuclear fleet in Great Britain (14 reactors out of 15), will be operated by a subsidiary of EDF.
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