ABSTRACT
Fast reactors are more complicated than thermal reactors in a technical respect and their exploitation demands considerable effort and time. As far as sodium fast reactors (SFRs) are concerned, the number of units is limited and almost all of them are experimental, test, and prototype reactors. Hence, the commissioning experience for power reactors is also limited. The basic objectives of the commissioning plan are (1) to achieve initial criticality and the initial demonstration run at various power levels from zero power to full power, consistent with safety requirements, and (2) to obtain necessary test and performance data (can be obtained only during the initial start-up period). In view of its high melting point (~90°C at ambient pressure), the sodium filling has to be done carefully after inerting and preheating the entire system more or less uniformly. This is a challenging and time-consuming activity. SFRs have seen a few minor sodium leaks during commissioning stage that have caused delay. In this chapter, various commissioning stages along with rich experience reported for three reactors Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF: a loop-type reactor in the United States), Phénix (Prototype reactor in France), and BN-600 (Power reactor in Russia) are presented. Elaborate information and data are available in Refs. 25.1-25.7. In this chapter, only the salient aspects are highlighted.
