LAUSR

A large 3600 MW-thermal European Sodium Fast Reactor (ESFR) concept has been studied in Horizon-2020 ESFR-SMART (ESFR Safety Measures Assessment and Research Tools) project since September 2017, following an earlier EURATOM project, CP-ESFR. In the paper, we describe new ESFR core safety measures focused on prevention and mitigation of severe accidents. In particular, we propose a new core configuration for reducing the sodium void effect, introduce passive shutdown systems, and implement special paths in the core for facilitation of molten fuel discharge in order to avoid re-criticalities after a hypothetical severe accident. We describe and assess the control and shutdown system, and consider options for burning minor actinides.