Analysis of thorium-uranium fuel using MOCUP and SCALE
A renewed interest in mixed thorium-uranium fuels has arisen lately based on the need for proliferation resistance, longer fuel cycles, higher burnup, and improved wasteform characteristics. Thorium fuel cycles have been studied in the past, most notably in the development of the light water breeder reactor at Shippingport, Pennsylvania, but these cycles were directed toward the production, reprocessing, and reuse of {sup 233}U through reactors having a seed and blanket configuration. The fuel used in this analysis is a mixed thoria-urania, in which the {sup 233}U is used in situ, replacing the {sup 235}U that is burned. Current UO{sub 2}fuel is burned to {approximately}45 MWd/kg, while recent calculations with SCALE 4.3 suggest that ThO{sub 2}-UO{sub 2} fuel could be burned to {gt}70 MWd/kg. A ThO{sub 2}-UO{sub 2} fuel would decrease the total amount of plutonium produced by a factor of 5 and the amount of {sup 239}Pu by a factor of 6.5. Furthermore, the plutonium that is produced is high in {sup 238}Pu, a strong source of spontaneous neutrons and decay heat, adding to proliferation resistance. This paper focuses on the reactivity trends and minor actinide production in mixed ThO{sub 2}-UO{sub 2} fuel by using MOCUP and comparing the results with SCALE 4.3.
- Research Organization:
- INEEL/LMIT, Idaho Falls, ID (US)
- OSTI ID:
- 20005734
- Journal Information:
- Transactions of the American Nuclear Society, Journal Name: Transactions of the American Nuclear Society Vol. 81; ISSN 0003-018X; ISSN TANSAO
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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