For 60 years of its existence, nuclear energy has passed the first stage of its development and has proven that it can become a powerful industry, going beyond the 10% level in the global balance of energy production. Despite this, modern nuclear industry is capable of producing economically acceptable energy only from uranium-235 or plutonium, obtained as a by-product of the use of low enriched uranium for energy production or surplus weapons-grade plutonium. In this case, nuclear energy cannot claim to be a technology that can solve the problems of energy security and sustainable development, since it meets the same economic and ‘geological’ problems as other technologies do, based on the use of exhaustible organic resources. The solution to this problem will require a new generation of reactors to drastically improve fuel-use characteristics. In particular, reactors based on the use of water cooling technology should significantly increase the efficiency of using U-238 in order to reduce the need for natural uranium in a nuclear energy system. To achieve this goal, it will be necessary to transit to a closed nuclear fuel cycle and, therefore, to improve the performance of a light-water reactor system. The paper considers the possibility of using a reactor with a fast-resonance neutron spectrum cooled by supercritical water (SCWR). The SCWR can be effectively used in a closed nuclear fuel cycle, since it makes it possible to use spent fuel and discharge uranium with a small amount of plutonium added. The authors discuss the selected layout of the core with a change in its size as well as the size of the breeding regions (blankets). MOX fuel with an isotopic plutonium content corresponding to that discharged from the VVER-1000 reactor is considered as fuel. For the selected layout, a study was made of the reactor system features. Compared with existing light-water reactors, this reactor type has increased fuel consumption due to its improved efficiency and nuclear fuel breeding rate up to 1 and above.

Paper presents an attempt to carry out synthesis of the approaches based on use of subcritical reactors for minor actinides (MA) recycling and incineration, and gas-fluorides methods of reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel. The subcritical molten salt reactor (K eff = 0.95) with fuel composition based on molten FLiNaK salt and fluorides of MA (separated from spent fuel VVER-1000 light water reactor) and external neutron source, based on 1 GeV proton accelerator with 6 mA protons current and molten salt cooled tungsten target is considered. Paper presents the results of parametrical analysis of equilibrium isotopic composition of molten salt reactor (MSR) with MA feed in dependence of core dimensions, average neutron flux and external neutron source intensity.

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Innovative nuclear energy system (INSS) designed to ensure effective use of uranium 238 and thorium 232 to produce energy. Maintain the neutron balance of this process requires the development and use of new types of nuclear fuel and structural materials. This requires the development of models to predict changes in their properties under the action of fields of different radiation, temperature, stress and exposure to various chemical substances. It is important achievement is not the limiting parameters, and the optimal combination of the properties of materials and their working conditions. In this paper parameters such as the fluence of fast neutrons, the reaction rate in the fuel rod cladding and the change of nuclide composition, in particular, developments of hydrogen and helium, influencing the change of the strength properties of steels, are calculated.

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