Dynamics of Critical Dedicated Cores for Minor Actinide Transmutation

Massara, S.; Tommasi, J.; Vanier, M.; Köberl, Oliver

doi:10.13182/nt05-a3587

Cited by 8 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…For computing performances of all core configurations we used European reactor analysis optimized calculation system (ERANOS) [12], MAT5DYN [13], and GER-MINAL (fuel performance code) [14] codes: for the neutronics, thermal-hydraulics, fuel performances analyses, respectively. The ERANOS calculation scheme consists of several steps, while employing a 1968-group nuclear data library and heterogeneous geometry descriptions in fuel cell calculations, and using the produced by the cell model 33-group effective cross section for core calculations.…”

Section: Calculation Schemementioning

confidence: 99%

ESFR-SMART Core Safety Measures and Their Preliminary Assessment

Rineiski

Mériot

Marchetti

et al. 2021

Journal of Nuclear Engineering and Radiation Science

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A large 3600 MW-thermal European Sodium Fast Reactor (ESFR) concept has been studied in Horizon-2020 ESFR-SMART (ESFR Safety Measures Assessment and Research Tools) project since September 2017, following an earlier EURATOM project, CP-ESFR. In the paper, we describe new ESFR core safety measures focused on prevention and mitigation of severe accidents. In particular, we propose a new core configuration for reducing the sodium void effect, introduce passive shutdown systems, and implement special paths in the core for facilitation of molten fuel discharge in order to avoid re-criticalities after a hypothetical severe accident. We describe and assess the control and shutdown system, and consider options for burning minor actinides.

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Section: Calculation Schemementioning

confidence: 99%

ESFR-SMART Core Safety Measures and Their Preliminary Assessment

Rineiski

Mériot

Marchetti

et al. 2021

Journal of Nuclear Engineering and Radiation Science

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“…Considering this, an approach based on the evaluation of the modification of the core response to various transients was implemented here. Unprotected loss-of-flow transients in the primary or secondary circuit and slow reactivity insertion are hypothetical situations which are representative of the core response to a real transient (Massara et al, 2005), and as such, the changes in the core response depending on the minor actinides content is an indicator of its resiliency to minor actinides loading.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Analysis of the impacts of homogeneous minor actinides loading in low void effect sodium fast reactor cores

Kooyman

Buiron

Rimpault

2019

Annals of Nuclear Energy

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Minor actinides transmutation is a solution to decrease the long-term radiotoxicity of nuclear waste and limit their short-term decay heat. In the homogenous approach, minor actinides are mixed in the fuel and loaded in the core in order to turn them into fission products. This leads to a neutron spectrum hardening in the core, which has a negative impact on the core integral feedback coefficients such as the Doppler Effect or the sodium void worth. Analysis of these impacts was used in the past to establish limit on maximal minor actinides loading in a reactor core. Low-void cores (CFV in French) have been recently developed by CEA to achieve negative sodium void worth by adding axial heterogeneities in the core layout in the form of an upper sodium plenum and an inner fertile blanket. In this paper, the impacts of minor actinides loading in such a core are analyzed and a comparison is carried out with earlier homogeneous core designs. In a first time, the impacts on integral feedbacks coefficients are evaluated, and in a second time, the perturbations of the core behavior during selected representative transients are analyzed. It is shown that even if the impacts on integral coefficients are similar between the two core designs, the low-void core behavior during loss-of-flow transient is not negatively impacted by minor actinides loading. For reactivity insertion transient, the two core designs behave similarly. It can be concluded that considering heterogeneous cores, the use of integral coefficients is insufficient to characterize the impact of minor actinides loading on the core for loss-of-flow transient. However, the impacts of minor actinides loading on the Doppler integral feedback coefficient can be used as reliable estimator for the modification of the core behavior during a reactivity insertion transient.

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A comparison of curium, neptunium and americium transmutation feasibility

Kooyman

Buiron

Rimpault

2018

Annals of Nuclear Energy

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Minor actinides transmutation is the process of decreasing the long term radiotoxicity of the nuclear spent fuel by submitting it to a neutron flux so as to achieve fission of the heavy nuclides concerned. In the case of a closed fuel cycle, minor actinides are the main contributors to the spent fuel radiotoxicity after a few centuries. The isotopic vector of the minor actinides feed to be transmuted depends heavily on the fuel cycle considered: PWRs with UOX fuels will mainly lead to neptunium and americium production while MOX fueled reactors will produce mainly americium and curium. Americium is the main element currently considered for transmutation due to its relatively short half-life and important production. On the other hand, neptunium is seen as a secondary candidate for transmutation due to its very long half life and low activity while Curium has transmutation is generally ruled out due to the important activity of curium isotopes. Two modes of transmutation in fast reactors are generally opposed, namely the homogeneous approach in which minor actinides are directly mixed with the fuel while in the heterogeneous approach, the minor actinides are loaded in dedicated targets. It is shown in this paper that the impacts on the fuel cycle of heterogeneous americium transmutation are similar to the one of homogeneous curium transmutation. It is further shown that given the quantities of curium in the fuel cycle, only a limited number of reactors would be required to effectively transmute the curium production of fast reactors with americium bearing blankets. Curium transmutation thus appears a feasible option in a completely closed fuel cycle without significantly higher fuel cycle impacts than with only americium transmutation. It is finally verified that neptunium transmutation can be achieved regardless of the approach considered.

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Dynamics of Critical Dedicated Cores for Minor Actinide Transmutation

Cited by 8 publications

References 6 publications

ESFR-SMART Core Safety Measures and Their Preliminary Assessment

ESFR-SMART Core Safety Measures and Their Preliminary Assessment

Analysis of the impacts of homogeneous minor actinides loading in low void effect sodium fast reactor cores

A comparison of curium, neptunium and americium transmutation feasibility

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