Abstract
The synergy of light and heavy water reactors using both uranium and thorium has been examined for the primary purpose of managing transuranic radionuclide (TRU) production. Two variants of a two-reactor system, where the first reactor uses uranium oxide fuel and the second reactor uses thorium-based fuels with a transuranic component, are analyzed from the perspective of TRU management. One variant uses low-enriched uranium made from natural uranium and uranium recovered from reprocessing in the first reactor, while the other variant uses highly enriched uranium. Full recycle of all actinides was used to minimize the amount of transuranics requiring repository disposal, so that the only source of exiting transuranics is from losses associated with process inefficiencies. Both variants compare favorably with other fuel cycle options with regards to the quantity of transuranic elements requiring geological disposal on an energy-normalized basis.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | ANS IHLRWM 2017 - 16th International High-Level Radioactive Waste Management Conference |
| Subtitle of host publication | Creating a Safe and Secure Energy Future for Generations to Come - Driving Toward Long-Term Storage and Disposal |
| Publisher | American Nuclear Society |
| Pages | 210-216 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9780894487422 |
| State | Published - 2017 |
| Event | 16th International High-Level Radioactive Waste Management Conference: Creating a Safe and Secure Energy Future for Generations to Come - Driving Toward Long-Term Storage and Disposal, IHLRWM 2017 - Charlotte, United States Duration: Apr 9 2017 → Apr 13 2017 |
Publication series
| Name | ANS IHLRWM 2017 - 16th International High-Level Radioactive Waste Management Conference: Creating a Safe and Secure Energy Future for Generations to Come - Driving Toward Long-Term Storage and Disposal |
|---|
Conference
| Conference | 16th International High-Level Radioactive Waste Management Conference: Creating a Safe and Secure Energy Future for Generations to Come - Driving Toward Long-Term Storage and Disposal, IHLRWM 2017 |
|---|---|
| Country/Territory | United States |
| City | Charlotte |
| Period | 04/9/17 → 04/13/17 |
Funding
This work is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, under the Nuclear Energy University Program. The work is being carried out as Project No. DENE0000735, “Development of Fuel Cycle Data Packages for Thorium Fuel Cycle Options”. To carry out the necessary lattice physics and depletion calculations, various modules of SCALE were used [8]. SCALE “is a comprehensive modeling and simulation suite for nuclear safety analysis and design developed and maintained by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) under contract with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, U.S. Department of Energy, and the National Nuclear Security Administration to perform reactor physics, criticality safety, radiation shielding, and spent fuel characterization for nuclear facilities and transportation/storage package designs”. The primary capabilities of SCALE relevant to this work are two-and three-dimensional neutron transport and depletion analysis.