Transuranic management using thorium and uranium-233 recycle in heavy water reactors

Timothy Ault; Steven Krahn; Andrew Worrall; Allen Croff

Transuranic management using thorium and uranium-233 recycle in heavy water reactors

Timothy Ault, Steven Krahn, Andrew Worrall, Allen Croff

Nuclear Energy and Fuel Cycle Division

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution › peer-review

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.

Funders	Funder number
U.S. Department of Energy
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
National Nuclear Security Administration
Oak Ridge National Laboratory	ORNL
Nuclear Energy University Program

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Cite this

Ault, T., Krahn, S., Worrall, A., & Croff, A. (2017). Transuranic management using thorium and uranium-233 recycle in heavy water reactors. In 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 (pp. 210-216). (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). American Nuclear Society.

Ault, Timothy ; Krahn, Steven ; Worrall, Andrew et al. / Transuranic management using thorium and uranium-233 recycle in heavy water reactors. 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. American Nuclear Society, 2017. pp. 210-216 (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).

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title = "Transuranic management using thorium and uranium-233 recycle in heavy water reactors",

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.",

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Ault, T, Krahn, S, Worrall, A & Croff, A 2017, Transuranic management using thorium and uranium-233 recycle in heavy water reactors. in 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. 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, American Nuclear Society, pp. 210-216, 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, 04/9/17.

Transuranic management using thorium and uranium-233 recycle in heavy water reactors. / Ault, Timothy; Krahn, Steven; Worrall, Andrew et al.
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. American Nuclear Society, 2017. p. 210-216 (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).

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution › peer-review

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Ault T, Krahn S, Worrall A, Croff A. Transuranic management using thorium and uranium-233 recycle in heavy water reactors. In 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. American Nuclear Society. 2017. p. 210-216. (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).

Transuranic management using thorium and uranium-233 recycle in heavy water reactors

Abstract

Publication series

Conference

Funding

UN SDGs

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