SUMMER:A small modular lead-bismuth-cooled fast reactor for mobile energy supply

The pursuit of small modular reactors (SMRs) has become a trend in this century due to their potential to expand the use of clean and reliable nuclear energy to a broader range of customers and applications. One promising candidate is the lead-based fast reactor. A mobile energy supply unit based on a lead-bismuth-cooled, pool-type, small modular fast reactor named SUstainable Modular Mobile Enhanced Reactor (SUMMER) is being developed by the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) and China Nuclear Power Technology Research Institute. SUMMER is intended to provide stable energy supply in the field or remote regions, which are potential application scenarios for SMRs. Key features of SUMMER include a long lifetime of over a decade, mobility (transportable by truck or train), and inherent safety. In this paper, the reactor design is completed under the constraints of fulfilling these features, such as the limitation of size and lifetime. Neutronic and thermal-hydraulic analyses are implemented, as well as safety analyses of the reactor under several typical accidents. The results show that the design meets all these criteria and that the reactor has an adequate safety margin under both steady-state and transient conditions.