Fuel cycle studies on the uranium utilization efficiency and minor actinide burning in gas cooled fast reactors

The embodied challenges for introducing closed fuel cycle are utilizing advanced fuel reprocessing and fabrication facilities as well as nuclear nonproliferation aspect. Optimization target of advanced reactor design should be maintained properly to obtain high performance of safety, fuel breeding and reducing some long-lived and high level radioactivity of spent fuel by closed fuel cycle options. In this paper, the contribution of loading trans-uranium to the core performance, fuel production, and reduction of minor actinide in high level waste (HLW) have been investigated during reactor operation of large fast breeder reactor (FBR). Excess reactivity can be reduced by loading some minor actinide in the core which affect to the increase of fuel breeding capability, however, some small reduction values of breeding capability are obtained when minor actinides are loaded in the blanket regions. As a total composition, MA compositions are reduced by increasing operation time. Relatively smaller reduction value was obtained at end of operation by blanket regions (9%) than core regions (15%). In addition, adopting closed cycle of MA obtains better intrinsic aspect of nuclear nonproliferation based on the increase of even mass plutonium in the isotopic plutonium composition.

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Impact of minor actinide recycling on sustainable fuel cycle options

Nuclear Engineering and Design ◽

10.1016/j.nucengdes.2016.09.024 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 323 ◽

pp. 434-462 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

F. Heidet ◽

T.K. Kim ◽

T.A. Taiwo

Keyword(s):

Fuel Cycle ◽

Minor Actinide

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Modeling minor actinide multiple recycling in a lead-cooled fast reactor to demonstrate a fuel cycle without long-lived nuclear waste

Nukleonika ◽

10.1515/nuka-2015-0111 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 60 (3) ◽

pp. 581-590 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Przemysław Stanisz ◽

Jerzy Cetnar ◽

Grażyna Domańska

Keyword(s):

Nuclear Fuel ◽

Nuclear Waste ◽

Fast Reactor ◽

Fuel Cycle ◽

Reactor Core ◽

Nuclear Fuel Cycle ◽

Minor Actinide ◽

Closed Nuclear Fuel Cycle ◽

European Collaboration ◽

Multiple Recycling

Abstract The concept of closed nuclear fuel cycle seems to be the most promising options for the efficient usage of the nuclear energy resources. However, it can be implemented only in fast breeder reactors of the IVth generation, which are characterized by the fast neutron spectrum. The lead-cooled fast reactor (LFR) was defined and studied on the level of technical design in order to demonstrate its performance and reliability within the European collaboration on ELSY (European Lead-cooled System) and LEADER (Lead-cooled European Advanced Demonstration Reactor) projects. It has been demonstrated that LFR meets the requirements of the closed nuclear fuel cycle, where plutonium and minor actinides (MA) are recycled for reuse, thereby producing no MA waste. In this study, the most promising option was realized when entire Pu + MA material is fully recycled to produce a new batch of fuel without partitioning. This is the concept of a fuel cycle which asymptotically tends to the adiabatic equilibrium, where the concentrations of plutonium and MA at the beginning of the cycle are restored in the subsequent cycle in the combined process of fuel transmutation and cooling, removal of fission products (FPs), and admixture of depleted uranium. In this way, generation of nuclear waste containing radioactive plutonium and MA can be eliminated. The paper shows methodology applied to the LFR equilibrium fuel cycle assessment, which was developed for the Monte Carlo continuous energy burnup (MCB) code, equipped with enhanced modules for material processing and fuel handling. The numerical analysis of the reactor core concerns multiple recycling and recovery of long-lived nuclides and their influence on safety parameters. The paper also presents a general concept of the novel IVth generation breeder reactor with equilibrium fuel and its future role in the management of MA.

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The Effect of MA Transmutation in the PWR on Fuel Cycle

Volume 3: Nuclear Fuel and Material, Reactor Physics and Transport Theory; Innovative Nuclear Power Plant Design and New Technology Application ◽

10.1115/icone25-67787 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Haoyang Yu ◽

Bin Liu ◽

Wenxin Zhang ◽

Jin Cai

Keyword(s):

Fuel Cycle ◽

Minor Actinide ◽

Minor Actinides ◽

Pressurized Water Reactor ◽

Spent Fuel ◽

Pressurized Water ◽

Mcnp Program ◽

And Control ◽

Control Rods ◽

Effective Multiplication

The minor actinides (MA) is important nuclides in the spent fuel which is bad for human ecological environment. Pressurized water reactor (PWR) is the main reactor type at commercial operation around world. It is important to find the appropriate loading patterns when introducing minor actinides to the PWR core. In this paper, we study the effect of MA transmutation in the PWR on fuel cycle. First, we use the MCNP program to simulate the model of PWR and the effective multiplication factor.Then,the MA is introduced into core in different ways and mass to simulate the effective multiplication factor. In conclusion,without considering chemical skim control and control rods, we change the thickness of the MA, until the keff closes to 1, We find that loading minor actinides to burnable poison rods for transmutation is an optimal minor actinide loading pattern.

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Design Study of Small Lead-Cooled Fast Reactors Using SiC Cladding and Structure

Volume 3: Structural Integrity; Nuclear Engineering Advances; Next Generation Systems; Near Term Deployment and Promotion of Nuclear Energy ◽

10.1115/icone14-89299 ◽

2006 ◽

Author(s):

Abu Khalid Rivai ◽

Minoru Takahashi

Keyword(s):

Power Distribution ◽

Inner Core ◽

Fuel Cycle ◽

Outer Core ◽

Structure Type ◽

Natural Uranium ◽

Neutron Energy Spectrum ◽

Fast Reactors ◽

Steel Type ◽

Type Reactor

Effects of SiC cladding and structure on neutronics of reactor core for small lead-cooled fast reactors have been investigated analytically. The fuel of this reactor was uranium nitride with 235U enrichment of 11% in inner core and 13% in outer core. The reactors were designed by optimizing the use of natural uranium blanket and nitride fuel to prolong the fuel cycle. The fuels can be used without reshuffling for 15 years. The coolant of this reactor was lead. A calculation was also conducted for steel cladding and structure type as comparison with SiC cladding and structure type. The results of calculation indicated that the neutron energy spectrum of the core using SiC was slightly softer than that using steel. The SiC type reactor was designed to have criticality at the beginning of cycle (BOC), although the steel type reactor could not have critical condition with the same size and geometry. In other words, the SiC type core can be designed smaller than the steel type core. The result of the design analysis showed that neutron flux distributions and power distribution was made flatter because the outer core enrichment was higher than inner core. The peak power densities could remain constant over the reactor operation. The consumption capability of uranium was quite high, i.e. 13% for 125 MWt reactor and 25% for 375 MWt reactor at EOC.

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