Nuclear mass inventory, photon dose rate and thermal decay heat of spent research reactor fuel assemblies

Pond, R. B.; Matos, J.E.

doi:10.2172/272554

Cited by 7 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…Typical evolutions of decay heat are provided in [14] and [97]. Around 1500 K, the heat release rate associated to the transition of the metallic Zr into brittle ceramic ZrO 2 becomes comparable to the decay heat.…”

Section: Oxidation Of Core Materialsmentioning

confidence: 99%

In-Vessel Core Degradation

2012

Nuclear Safety in Light Water Reactors

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Section: Oxidation Of Core Materialsmentioning

confidence: 99%

In-Vessel Core Degradation

2012

Nuclear Safety in Light Water Reactors

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“…Moreover, enriching fuel to HALEU levels affects transportation costs; higher radiation and proliferation risks require increased standards for transportation and packaging regulations. From the reactor aspect, extending the cycle time with negligible changes in outage time from prolonged decay heat [4], the reactor pressure vessel (RPV) is exposed to more neutrons over a shorter cycle length. As a result, the RPV material will experience accelerated corrosion and embrittlement, causing a reduction in its operational lifetime.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Economic Cost Assessment on HALEU Fuels for Small Modular Reactors

Carlson

Olson

et al. 2020

Science and Technology of Nuclear Installations

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Small modular reactors (SMRs) are currently being considered as future investments for commercial entities due to perceived advantages over traditional large-scale power reactors, particularly their considerably lower capital costs. One strategy for lowering the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) of SMRs is to increase their burnup by utilizing high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) fuels, which range from 5 to 20 weight percent (w/o) of U-235. By increasing fuel enrichment to HALEU levels, with higher specific fuel costs compared to standard enrichment, a plant may achieve an increased capacity factor by extending its fuel cycle and thereby reducing average yearly fuel supply costs. It is expected that the benefits of optimizing fuel enrichment to extend a reactor’s fuel cycle outweigh the added cost due to more expensive fuel. In this paper, the net benefit of extending an SMR’s fuel cycle by enriching uranium fuel to HALEU levels was estimated using 2017 nuclear fuel production market data with NuScale’s 160 MWt SMR design as a case study. It was found that, for NuScale’s design, plant LCOE decreased with increasing cycle length enabled by higher fuel enrichment. It was also observed that doubling cycle time from 24 months to 48 months netted each reactor a 1.23 $/MWh reduction in LCOE. The total savings for a 12-module SMR design were estimated to be around $5,840,000 per year. Therefore, utilizing HALEU fuel in SMRs can vastly improve their economic efficiency.

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“…Another isotope of interest is 236 U (t 1 / 2 = 2.3 Â 10 7 y): formed from 235 U by neutron absorption (cosmogenic and self-activation), its isotopic abundance is expected to range from¨10 À 9 in uranium ores [14] down to¨10 À 14 in the general environment [15]. However, 236 U is produced prodigiously in nuclear reactors, with spent fuels from commercial power reactors containing 0.2-0.5% while that from high enrichment test reactors can contain up to 30% [16]. In the case of the Chernobyl reactor, which was¨1 / 3 of the way through a fuel 0584 cycle, the 236 U isotopic fraction was estimated at 0.2% [17].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%