Fuel Cycle Options for the Production and Utilization of Denatured Plutonium
| Autor: | C. H. M. Broeders, G. Kessler |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2007 |
| Předmět: |
010308 nuclear & particles physics
Nuclear engineering 0211 other engineering and technologies 02 engineering and technology 01 natural sciences Spent nuclear fuel Thorium fuel cycle Nuclear reprocessing Nuclear Energy and Engineering Nuclear reactor core Plutonium-240 0103 physical sciences Environmental science 021108 energy Reprocessed uranium MOX fuel Burnup |
| Zdroj: | Nuclear Science and Engineering. 156:1-23 |
| ISSN: | 1943-748X 0029-5639 |
| DOI: | 10.13182/nse07-a2681 |
| Popis: | Denatured reactor plutonium with a 238 Pu isotopic content of ∼6% or somewhat more can be produced in a suitably adapted fuel cycle. Several such fuel cycle options are proposed. Reenriched reprocessed 235 U/ 236 U/ 238 U, which can be blended with some low-enriched 235 U/ 238 U fuel, leads, after one burnup cycle of 50 to 60 GWd/tonne in a pressurized water reactor (PWR) core, to denatured reactor plutonium with more than 8% 238 Pu isotopic content. Presently existing reactor plutonium with ∼2.8% 238 Pu from spent fuel with a burnup of 50 GWd/tonne can also be converted in PWRs, during one or two burnup cycles over 50 to 60 GWd/tonne into denatured reactor plutonium. This is also demonstrated by burnup calculations for different fuel cycle scenarios using, e.g., reenriched reprocessed uranium, thorium, and minor actinides. Denatured reactor plutonium with 6% or somewhat more 238 Pu isotopic content can be considered as a proliferation-resistant fuel and could be treated like low-enriched ( |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
| Externí odkaz: |
|