A versatile innovative coupled thermal-fast test reactor

Any future reactor system will be based on challenging innovative features for new safety and economic requirements, according to GEN-IV objectives and beyond. For this reason a robust, versatile, multipurpose new test reactor will be required, that could provide irradiation capabilities, but also new components and fuel/coolant system test and validation. Moreover, potential improvements of current reactors could require the test of new safety features, new materials in extended burn-up environments The ongoing design of a new versatile coupled thermal-fast test reactor that can accommodate both fast and thermal irradiation, technology and safety features tests is described in this paper. The results showed that the current design fulfills most R&D needs requirements providing high thermal and fast fluxes and wide possibilities for diversified future reactor features test in appropriate loops, both in steady state and during transients.