Fast Burner Reactor Devoted to Minor Actinide Incineration

Messaoudi, Nadia; Tommasi, J.

doi:10.13182/nt02-a3259

Cited by 23 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…As is clear from Table 8.14, the Fertile case presented throughout this work outperforms the IMF cases studied here, owing mainly to the problems with the large reactivity swing and short reactivity limited lifetime inherent in an IMF approach. While some IMF cores have been developed which present desirable neutronic performance across most categories, the problems and design challenges of these strategies have been showcased here in the IMF assembly, highlighting the generic problems with such an approach, as also reported elsewhere [Messaoudi and Tommasi, 2002] . …”

Section: 00e+01mentioning

confidence: 78%

“…One solution that has been proposed in order to improve the low Doppler reactivity in IMF fuel (specifically the fuel composite PuO 2 -MgO) is to add iron to the matrix to make the fuel composite PuO 2 -MgO-Fe [Krivitski et al, 2001]. Another solution is to add Tc-99 to the fuel, which has capture resonances similar in both size and energy to U-238 [Messaoudi and Tommasi, 2002]. This has the concomitant benefit of burning Tc-99, which has been shown to be a large contributor to the long-term radiotoxicity of spent fuel.…”

Section: Neutronic Considerations Of Using Inert Matrix Fuelsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Tc-99 neutronically mimics the resonance absorption behavior of U-238 and has been shown effective in designing IMF cores with negative Doppler coefficients of reactivity [Messaoudi and Tommasi, 2002] [ ]. destruction.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Optimized Core Design of a Supercritical Carbon Dioxide-Cooled Fast Reactor

2008

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Spurred by the renewed interest in nuclear power, Gas-cooled Fast Reactors (GFRs) have received increasing attention in the past decade. Motivated by the goals of the Generation-IV International Forum (GIF), a GFR cooled by supercritical carbon dioxide (S-CO 2 ), fueled with Light Water Reactor spent fuel transuranics, and directly coupled with a Brayton cycle is under investigation as part of a larger research effort at MIT. While the original GFR chosen by the GIF is a 600MWh version using Helium as a coolant, the work presented here is for a 2400 MWd, core using S-CO 2 as a coolant, which has comparable thermal efficiency (-45%) at much lower temperatures (650"C v. 850 0 C) A reactor core for use in this direct cycle S-CO 2 GFR has been designed which satisfies established neutronic and thermal-hydraulic steady state design criteria, while concurrently supporting the Gen-IV criteria of sustainability, safety, proliferation, and economics. Use of innovative Tube-in-Duct (TID) fuel has been central to accomplishing this objective, as it provides a higher fuel volume fraction and lower fuel temperatures and pressure drop when compared to traditional pin-type fuel. Further, this large fuel volume fraction allows for a large enough heavy metal loading for a sustainable core lifetime without the need for external blankets, enhancing the proliferation resistance of such an approach.Use of Beryllium Oxide (BeO) as a diluent is explored as a means for both power shaping and coolant void reactivity (CVR) reduction in fast reactors. Results show that relatively flat power profiles can be maintained throughout a batch-loaded "battery" core life using a combination of enrichment and diluent zoning, due to the slight moderating effect of the BeO. Combining BeO diluent with the innovative strategy of using a thick volume of S-CO 2 coolant as the radial reflector yields negative CVR values throughout core life, a rare, if not unique accomplishment for fast reactors. The ability to maintain negative CVR comes from a combination of the effects of spectral softening due to the BeO diluent and the enhanced leakage upon voiding of the S-CO 2 radial reflector.In support of assessing the neutronic self-controllability of this core, a simple first-order steady state design metric is developed, modified from other established methodology to suit the uniqueness of this core concept. The results of this analysis show that the core will passively shut itself down without violation of established core thermal limits in the event of several limiting Anticipated Transients Without SCRAM (ATWS) scenarios, except for a Loss of Coolant Without SCRAM at End of Core life. Since most of the requisites for passive core shutdown have been demonstrated within the parameter uncertainties of current estimates, the candidate core design is deemed sufficiently safe. Further, design solutions for fixing this deficiency are proposed.Alternative cores using traditional pin-type fuel and innovative Internally-Cooled Annular Fuel (ICAF) have also be...

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Section: 00e+01mentioning

confidence: 78%

Section: Neutronic Considerations Of Using Inert Matrix Fuelsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Optimized Core Design of a Supercritical Carbon Dioxide-Cooled Fast Reactor

2008

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“…To further enhance the TRU burning rate, the removal of the fertile nuclides from the initial fuels is required and it accelerates the reduction of TRUs that are accumulated in LWR spent fuel stocks. However, it is well known that the removal of fertile nuclides from the fuel degrades the inherent safety of the SFR burner cores through the significant decrease of the fuel Doppler effects, the increase of sodium void reactivity worth, the significantly large burnup reactivity swing, and the reduction of the delayed neutron fraction [16][17][18][19][20]. So, the maximization of TRU burning rate requires the development of the advanced core concept, which can minimize the degradations of the inherent safety features without a loss of high TRU burning capability.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Advanced Sodium-Cooled Fast Reactor Core Concept Using Uranium-Free Metallic Fuels for Maximizing TRU Burning Rate

You

2017

Sustainability

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Abstract:In this paper, we designed and analyzed advanced sodium-cooled fast reactor cores using uranium-free metallic fuels for maximizing burning rate of transuranics (TRU) nuclides from PWR spent fuels. It is well known that the removal of fertile nuclides such as 238 U from fuels in liquid metal cooled fast reactor leads to the degradation of important safety parameters such as the Doppler coefficient, coolant void worth, and delayed neutron fraction. To resolve the degradation of the Doppler coefficient, we considered adding resonant nuclides to the uranium-free metallic fuels. The analysis results showed that the cores using uranium-free fuels loaded with tungsten instead of uranium have a significantly lower burnup reactivity swing and more negative Doppler coefficients than the core using uranium-free fuels without resonant nuclides. In addition, we considered the use of axially central B 4 C absorber region and moderator rods to further improve safety parameters such as sodium void worth, burnup reactivity swing, and the Doppler coefficient. The results of the analysis showed that the final design core can consume~353 kg per cycle and satisfies self-controllability under unprotected accidents. The fuel cycle analysis showed that the PWR-SFR coupling fuel cycle option drastically reduces the amount of waste going to repository and the SFR burner can consume the amount of TRUs discharged from 3.72 PWRs generating the same electricity.

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“…First, for instance, candidates such as Tc-based and W-based oxide fuel, inert matrix fuel such as the rock-like oxide fuel containing mineral-like compounds, and MgO-based oxide fuel provide solutions against issues associated with uraniumfree operation, that is, decrease in Doppler reactivity feedback and increase in sodium void reactivity [1][2][3], but such types of inert matrix fuel may require new technologies for reprocessing. Additionally, many processing phases necessary for fabrication are costly.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Development of Uranium-Free TRU Metallic Fuel Fast Reactor Core

Ishii

Yamaoka

Moriki

et al. 2014

Nuclear Back-End and Transmutation Technology for Waste Disposal

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A TRU-burning fast reactor cycle associated with a uranium-free transuranium (TRU) metallic fuel core is one of the solutions for radioactive waste management issue. Use of TRU metallic fuel without uranium makes it possible to maximize the TRU transmutation rate in comparison with uranium and plutonium mixed-oxide fuel because it prevents the fuel itself from producing new plutonium and minor actinides, and furthermore because metallic fuel has much smaller capture-to-fission ratios of TRU than those of mixed-oxide fuel. Also, adoption of metallic fuel enables recycling system to be less challenging, even for uranium-free fuel, because a conventional scheme of fuel recycling by electrorefining and injection casting is applicable.There are some issues, however, associated with a uranium-free TRU metallic fuel core: decrease in negative Doppler reactivity coefficient from the absence of uranium-238, which has the ability to absorb neutrons at elevated temperatures, increase in burn-up swing, because fissile decreases monotonically in uranium-free core, and so on. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the feasibility of the uranium-free TRU metallic fuel core by investigating the effect of measures taken to enhance Doppler reactivity feedback and to reduce burn-up swing. The results show a TRU-burning fast reactor cycle using uranium-free TRU metallic fuel is viable from the aforementioned points of view because the introduction of diluent Zr alloy, spectrum moderator BeO, and lower core height enables Doppler reactivity coefficient and burn-up reactivity swing of uranium-free TRU metallic fuel to be as practicable as those of conventional fuel containing uranium.

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Fast Burner Reactor Devoted to Minor Actinide Incineration

Cited by 23 publications

References 2 publications

Optimized Core Design of a Supercritical Carbon Dioxide-Cooled Fast Reactor

Optimized Core Design of a Supercritical Carbon Dioxide-Cooled Fast Reactor

An Advanced Sodium-Cooled Fast Reactor Core Concept Using Uranium-Free Metallic Fuels for Maximizing TRU Burning Rate

Development of Uranium-Free TRU Metallic Fuel Fast Reactor Core

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