Performance of Large Breed-and-Burn Core

Heidet, Florent; Greenspan, E.

doi:10.13182/nt13-a15800

Cited by 12 publications

(12 citation statements)

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“…The core is represented by a simplified "R-Z" model. The results from the R-Z model are in good agreement with those obtained when the core is 1 The TRU conversion ratio is defined as the ratio of the neutron capture rate by 238 modeled as a collection of hexagonal fuel assemblies (Heidet and Greenspan, 2013;Yang, 2012). Due to the limitation of the R-Z model, the control assemblies are not accounted for in this study.…”

Section: Modelingsupporting

confidence: 66%

Improved resource utilization by advanced burner reactors with breed-and-burn blankets

Zhang

Fratoni

Greenspan

2018

Progress in Nuclear Energy

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A B S T R A C TPrevious studies assessed the feasibility of designing Sodium-cooled Fast Reactors (SFR) in a novel Seed-andBlanket (S&B) configuration in which a significant fraction of the core power is generated by a radial metallic thorium-fueled blanket that operates in the Breed-and-Burn (B&B) mode. The radiation damage on the cladding material in both seed and blanket does not exceed the presently acceptable constraint of 200 Displacements per Atom (DPA). This paper investigates a number of blanket fuel options other than metallic thorium fuel, including thorium dioxide fuel, thorium hydride fuel, thorium nitride Fully Ceramic Encapsulated (FCM) fuel, and Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) Used Nuclear Fuel (UNF) after limited reprocessing. Since the neutron spectrum of the oxide fueled blanket is softer than that of the reference metallic thorium fueled blanket, it can discharge its fuel at an average burnup of around 110 MWd/kg versus 65 MWd/kg of the metallic thorium. The two thorium hydride fueled blankets feature an even softer neutron spectrum than the oxide fueled blanket and, therefore, a higher average discharge burnup -192 MWd/kg and 245 MWd/kg when the H-to-Th ratio is, respectively, 0.5 and 2.0. The FCM fuel is composed of SiC matrix and cladding that is expected to self-anneal the neutrons induced damage. With the assumption that the FCM fuel will indeed be proven not limited by radiation damage, its discharge burnup could be up to 482 MWd/kg. As a result, the corresponding thorium utilization is the highest of all options examined -close to 80 times the utilization of natural uranium in present Light Water Reactors (LWRs). The amount of Trans-Th isotopes accumulated in the thorium blanket per unit of generated electricity decreases as the blanket fuel is discharged at a higher burnup. Therefore, a higher discharge blanket burnup results in lower long-term radioactivity and radiotoxicity. It is also found that the 232 U/ 233 U ratio in the discharged thorium fuel is over 3 times higher in the thorium hydride than in the other blankets thus improving the thorium-hydride blanket's proliferation resistance. Softening of the blanket spectrum leads to softening of the seed spectrum region interfacing with the blanket and this enables to discharge the seed fuel at a higher average burnup. The higher discharge burnup of the seed fuel reduces the required reprocessing and fuel fabrication capacities per unit of generated electricity. The cores having softer neutron spectrum blankets also feature less positive feedback to sodium voiding and much more negative Doppler coefficient. When PWR UNF is used after limited reprocessing to fuel the blanket, the subcritical blanket driven by the excess neutrons from the seed can discharge this fuel at an average burnup of ∼120 MWd/kg. Combined with the burnup in the first stage PWRs, this two-stage energy system can achieve an accumulated uranium burnup of ∼170 MWd/kg. This increases the fuel utilization of natural uranium by a factor of three relative to oncethroug...

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Section: Modelingsupporting

confidence: 66%

Improved resource utilization by advanced burner reactors with breed-and-burn blankets

Zhang

Fratoni

Greenspan

2018

Progress in Nuclear Energy

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“…The results from the R-Z model are in good agreement with those obtained when the core is modeled as a collection of hexagonal fuel assemblies. 9,18 Because of the limitation of the R-Z model, control assemblies are not included in this study; this is expected to somewhat overestimate the core performance. The core is radially divided into three equal-volume concentric burnup zones for the seed and one burnup zone for each blanket batch; each radial zone is further divided into six axial burnup nodes.…”

Section: Breed-and-burn Thorium Blankets · Zhang Et Al 189mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…6 However, in order to sustain the B&B mode of operation, it is necessary to fission at least~20% of the initial depleted uranium feed. 7 An average burnup of 20% fissions per initial metal atom (FIMA) corresponds to a peak discharge burnup of up to 30% FIMA and the peak radiation damage on the cladding material in the vicinity of 500 displacements per atom 8,9 (dpa). The maximum neutroninduced radiation damage to which cladding and structural materials have been exposed at the Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF) so far is approximately 200 dpa (Ref.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The radial dimensions of the active core (seed and blanket), reflector, and shielding are those of the metallic fuel version of the Super Power Reactor Innovative Small Module (S-PRISM) core developed by General Electric 16 (GE) such that the core could fit within the S-PRISM reactor vessel. The active core height is 250 cm, which is a typical value of B&B reactor cores 9 but is about 2.5 times that of compact cores, like the ABR designed by Argonne National Laboratory 13,15 (ANL) and S-PRISM. The fission gas plenum length is assumed to be 1.9 m although a longer fission gas plenum may be required for the higher-burnup cases unless a vented fuel design will be used.…”

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Advanced Burner Reactors with Breed-and-Burn Thorium Blankets for Improved Economics and Resource Utilization

2017

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-This paper assesses the feasibility of designing seed-and-blanket (S&B) sodium-cooled fast reactor (SFR) cores to generate a significant fraction of the core power from radial thorium-fueled blankets that operate in the breed-and-burn (B&B) mode. The radiation damage on the cladding material in both seed and blanket does not exceed the presently acceptable constraint of 200 displacements per atom (dpa). The S&B core is designed to have an elongated seed (or driver) to maximize the fraction of neutrons that radially leak into the subcritical B&B blanket and reduce the neutron loss via axial leakage. A specific objective of this study is to maximize the fraction of core power generated by the B&B blanket that is proportional to the neutron leakage rate from the seed to the blanket. Since the blanket feed fuel is very inexpensive and requires no reprocessing and remote fuel fabrication, a larger fraction of power from the blanket will result in a lower fuel cycle cost per unit of electricity generated by the SFR core. It is found possible to design the seed of the S&B core to have a lower transuranics (TRU) conversion ratio (CR) than a conventional advanced burner reactor (ABR) core without deteriorating core safety. This is due to the unique synergism between a low CR seed and the B&B thorium blanket. The benefits of the synergism are maximized when using an annular seed surrounded by inner and outer thorium blankets. Two high-performance S&B cores are designed to benefit from the annular seed concept: (1) an ultra-long-cycle core having a CR = 0.5 seed and a cycle length of~7 effective full-power years (EFPYs) and (2) a high-transmutation core having a TRU CR of 0.0. The TRU transmutation rate of the latter core is comparable to that of the reference ABR with a CR of 0.5, and the thorium blanket can generate close to 60% of the core power. Because of the high blanket power fraction along with the high discharge burnup of the CR = 0 seed, the reprocessing capacity per unit of core power required by this S&B core is only approximately 1/6th that of the reference ABR core with a TRU CR of 0.5. Although the seed fuel CR is nearly zero, the burnup reactivity swing is low enough to enable a cycle length of more than 4 EFPYs. This is attributed to a combination of reactivity gain in the thorium blankets over the cycle and the relatively high heavy metal inventory. Moreover, despite the very low leakage, the S&B cores feature a less positive coolant reactivity coefficient and large enough negative Doppler coefficient even when using nonfertile fuel for the seed, because of the unique physics properties of the 233 U and Th in the thorium blankets. With the long cycles, the S&B SFR is expected to have a higher capacity factor, and therefore a lower cost of electricity, than conventional ABRs. The discharge burnup of the thorium blanket fuel is typically 70 MWd/kg such that the thorium fuel utilization is approximately 12 times that of natural uranium in light water reactors. A sensitivity study is subsequently un...

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“…Qvist and Greenspan (2014) developed an automated fast reactor core design code ADOPT, which has been applied to Breed and Burn reactor. Heidet and Greenspan (2013) performed a preliminary neutronics design of a Breed and Burn reactor core, in which an improved shuffling scheme was proposed and preliminary thermal-hydraulic analysis was performed. However, the core was modeled as concentric cylindrical regions, which limits the engineering practicability of the research results.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Performance of radial fuel shuffling sodium cooled Breed and Burn reactor core

Zheng

Tian

Zhang

et al. 2016

Annals of Nuclear Energy

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a b s t r a c tIn this paper, performance of radial fuel shuffling of sodium cooled Breed and Burn reactor core is investigated. Neutronics and depletion calculations are carried out by MCORE based on the ENDF/B-VII data library. Thermal-hydraulic analysis is performed based on a self-developed parallel channels model steady-state code SAST. First of all, the assembly parameters are optimized from neutronics and thermal-hydraulics. The results show that assembly with 127 fuel rods and P/D of 1.12 is the best design. Secondly, the core critical features and radial power peaking factors of the inward and outward fuel shuffling strategy under different fuel shuffling periods are carried out. The results show that k eff of the beginning of equilibrium cycle (BOEC) and end of equilibrium cycle (EOEC) of both the inward and outward fuel shuffling strategy parabolically vary with the fuel shuffling period. Power peaking factor of the inward fuel shuffling strategy decreases with the increase of fuel shuffling period exponentially, while that of the outward fuel shuffling strategy increases with the fuel shuffling period exponentially. The outward fuel shuffling strategy with shuffling period of 500 days performs better in core critical features and radial power peaking factors. Reactivity coefficients of the optimized core are calculated. Finally, preliminary thermal-hydraulic analysis of the optimized core is performed. The results show that maximum cladding interface temperature and maximum fuel temperature are all within the acceptable limits.

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Performance of Large Breed-and-Burn Core

Cited by 12 publications

References 11 publications

Improved resource utilization by advanced burner reactors with breed-and-burn blankets

Improved resource utilization by advanced burner reactors with breed-and-burn blankets

Advanced Burner Reactors with Breed-and-Burn Thorium Blankets for Improved Economics and Resource Utilization

Performance of radial fuel shuffling sodium cooled Breed and Burn reactor core

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