Description of an improved turbomachinery model to be developed in the cathare3 code for ASTRID power conversion system application

Abstract : ASTRID (Advanced Sodium Technological Reactor for Industrial Demonstration) is the 1500 MWth French sodium-cooled fast reactor (SFR) developed by the CEA and its partners. It is designed to demonstrate the workability at an industrial scale of this Generation IV reactor type. For safety reasons, a gas power conversion system (PCS) based on a nitrogen Brayton cycle is envisaged for the tertiary circuit. The safety demonstration for this innovative option will require the calculation of a wide range of accidental situations. The thermo-hydraulic transient calculations will be performed using the CATHARE 3 code, that will have to accurately represent the primary (sodium), the secondary (sodium) and the tertiary (nitrogen) circuits.