Thermal Breeder Reactors

Perry, A.M.; Weinberg, Alvin M.

doi:10.1146/annurev.ns.22.120172.001533

Cited by 29 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 1 publication

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“…In order to take into account these contributions it is customary to replace the parameter 77 with 77 e where e is the ratio of all neutron produced to the ones from the main fissile material. For a F-EA we expect r/e = 2.4 ~ 2.5, conveniently and significantly larger than two and larger than 77 e = 2.1 ~-> 2.2 [6], appropriate for a T-EA. The consequent larger allowance for-losses (f.i.…”

Section: --Physics Considerations and Parameter Definitionmentioning

confidence: 87%

A high gain energy amplifier operated with fast neutrons

Rubbia

1995

AIP Conference Proceedings

126

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Design and adaptation of a novel supercritical extraction facility for operation in a glove box for recovery of radioactive elements Rev. Sci. Instrum. 81, 094101 (2010) Silica coated magnetic nanoparticles for separation of nuclear acidic waste J. Appl. Phys. 107, 09B520 (2010) Nuclear waste disposal-pyrochlore (A2B2O7): Nuclear waste form for the immobilization of plutonium and "minor" actinides J. Appl. Phys. 95, 5949 (2004) Nuclear waste disposal-pyrochlore (A2B2O7): Nuclear waste form for the immobilization of plutonium and "minor" actinides App.

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Section: --Physics Considerations and Parameter Definitionmentioning

confidence: 87%

A high gain energy amplifier operated with fast neutrons

Rubbia

1995

AIP Conference Proceedings

126

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“…In some studies, fuel utilization characteristics such as inventory (or specific inventory), breeding (or conversion) ratio, resource utilization efficiency, burn-up (or net burn-up), neutron economy, and doubling time [36,43,[54][55][56][57][58][59][60][61][62] were a focal point of the economic analysis of thorium-based fuels in a reactor.…”

Section: Nuclear Economics Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The discussion on economics methods is applicable to any reactor, but heavy-water reactors, which could be used as thermal breeders [58], have potential economic advantages as a conventional technology for using thorium-based fuels.…”

Section: Nuclear Economics Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Canadian Perspective of the Economic Issues Associated With Deploying Thorium-Based Fuel Cycles and Breeding in Heavy-Water Reactors

España

Bromley

2019

CNL Nuclear Review

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To meet future global needs for energy and green technology, it is prudent to identify energy sources and technology that may potentially be economically beneficial. Thorium-based fuels with nuclear technology, such as the Canadian heavy-water reactor, have been proposed as a way to meet those global needs, though economic challenges persist in deploying thorium-based fuels. Therefore, economic strategies to overcome the economic challenges in deploying thorium-based fuels are needed. To identify potential strategies for advancing the deployment of thorium-based fuels, this paper conducts a historical examination of the economics of thorium fuel cycles to identify economic factors that can influence a country’s development of thorium-based fuel cycles. In particular, this paper reviews the economic issues associated with Canada’s experience in deploying thorium-based fuel cycles. The study finds that the existence of natural resources and the associated price, a nuclear fuel cycle’s costs, a country’s international trade balance position and economic growth policies, the profitability of the electrical power and nuclear industry, and the technical and economical characteristics of the nuclear reactor developed in a country may all influence the adoption of a thorium-based fuel cycle. Furthermore, recent advancements in developing thorium-based fuel cycles are suggested as a possible way of bridging the technical and economic gap between near-term and long-term implementation of thorium-based fuel cycles that may overcome current economic challenges.

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“…8 Interest in U-233 as a Reactor Fuel One reason for interest in U-233 as a reactor fuel is the superior conversion ratios Cp that can be achieved with it in slow-neutron reactors. 9 It will be seen from Table 1 that about 0.2 more neutrons are produced on average per "thermal" (20 °C or 0.025 eV) neutron absorbed on U-233 than for absorption in Pu-239. This difference increases with neutron energy to about 0.4 at 0.1 eV neutron energy and to about 0.6 at 0.3 eV.…”

Section: U-232 Radiation Hazardmentioning

confidence: 99%

U‐232 and the proliferation‐resistance of U‐233 in spent fuel

Kang¹,

Hippel²

2001

Science & Global Security

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The factors influencing the level of U-232 contamination in U-233 are examined for heavy-water-moderated, light-water-moderated and liquid-metal cooled fast breeder reactors fueled with natural or low-enriched uranium and containing thorium mixed with the uranium or in separate target channels. U-232 decays with a 69-year half-life through 1.9-year half-life Th-228 to T1-208, which emits a 2.6 MeV gamma ray upon decay.We find that pressurized light-water-reactors fueled with LEU-thorium fuel at high burnup (70 MWd/kg) produce U-233 with U-232 contamination levels of about 0.4 percent. At this contamination level, a 5 kg sphere of U-233 would produce a gammaray dose rate of 13 and 38 rem/hr at 1 meter one and ten years after chemical purification respectively. The associated plutonium contains 7.5 percent of the undesirable heat-generating 88-year half-life isotope Pu-238.However, just as it is possible to produce weapon-grade plutonium in low-burnup fuel, it is also practical to use heavy-water reactors to produce U-233 containing only a few ppm of U-232 if the thorium is segregated in "target" channels and discharged a few times more frequently than the natural-uranium "driver" fuel. The dose rate from a 5-kg solid sphere of U-233 containing 5 ppm U-232 could be reduced by a further factor of 30, to about 2 mrem/hr, with a close-fitting lead sphere weighing about 100 kg.Thus the proliferation resistance of thorium fuel cycles depends very much upon how they are implemented.

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Thermal Breeder Reactors

Cited by 29 publications

References 1 publication

A high gain energy amplifier operated with fast neutrons

A high gain energy amplifier operated with fast neutrons

A Canadian Perspective of the Economic Issues Associated With Deploying Thorium-Based Fuel Cycles and Breeding in Heavy-Water Reactors

U‐232 and the proliferation‐resistance of U‐233 in spent fuel

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