In vessel detection of delayed neutron emitters from clad failure in sodium cooled nuclear reactors: An estimation of the signal

The detection of clad failures is mandatory in sodium-cooled fast neutron reactors in compliance with the “clean sodium” concept. An in-vessel detection system, sensitive to delayed neutrons from fission products released into the primary coolant by failures, partially tested in SUPERPHENIX, is foreseen in current SFR projects in order to reduce significantly the delay before an alarm is issued. In this paper, an estimation of the signal received by such a system in case of a failure is derived, taking the French project ASTRID as a working example. This failure induced signal is compared to that of the contribution of the neutrons from the core itself. The sensitivity of the system is defined in terms of minimal detectable surface of clad failure. Possible solutions to improve this sensitivity are discussed, involving either the sensor itself, or the hydraulic design of the vessel in the early stage of the reactor conception.