Fast Reactors and Accelerator Driven Systems Knowledge Base

Conference Article: A competitive thorium fuel cycle for pressurized water reactors of current technology

Galperin, A.; Radkowsky, A. (Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva (Israel)); Todosow, M. (Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY (United States))

Abstract

Two important issues may influence the development and public acceptance of the nuclear power worldwide: a reduction of proliferation potential and spent fuel disposal requirements of the nuclear fuel cycle. Both problems may be addressed effectively by replacement of uranium by thorium fertile part of the fuel. A practical and competitive fuel design to satisfy the described design objectives and constraints may be achieved by seed-blanket core, proposed by A. Radkowsky and implemented in Shippingport reactors. The main idea is to separate spatially the uranium part of the core (seed) from the thorium part of the core (blanket), and thus allow two separate fuel management routes for uranium and thorium parts of the fuel. The uranium part (seed) is optimized to supply neutrons to the subcritical thorium blanket. The blanket is designed to generate and bum insitu 233U.

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key words: breeding blankets; fuel management; heterogeneous reactor cores; plutonium; proliferation; reactivity; reactor kinetics; safety; spent fuel storage; thorium cycle; transmutation; uranium 233
Reference:
Proceedings of three IAEA meetings held in Vienna in 1997, 1998 and 1999
International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna (Austria)
IAEA-TECDOC--1319, pp:83-96