Exploring Capabilities for Zed-2 as a Physics Test Facility to Support Small Modular Reactor Designs

Abstract

ZED-2 (Zero Energy Deuterium) is a heavy-water moderated, zero power critical facility which has contributed to over 57 years of heavy-water reactor physics research, and continues to be a crucial and unique facility for such work. There are few proving grounds with which to conduct modern experiments exploring reactor physics behavior for advanced reactors. The large vessel (3.3 m in height, 3.3 m in diameter) and the flexibility of the lattice, including materials in core, fuel type, and to some extent, fuel/coolant temperature, makes ZED-2 suited to such meaningful measurements. This paper will present the current capabilities of ZED 2 and explore potential new applications (e.g., molten salts) and how they relate to small modular reactor physics; specifically, what ZED-2 could contribute by way of demonstration and/or validation to enable the entry of small modular reactors into the regulatory space.