Thorium-Based Transmuter Fuels for Light Water Reactors

Journal Article · Thu Jul 15 04:00:00 EDT 2004 · Nuclear Technology

OSTI ID:20840209

Herring, J Stephen; MacDonald, Philip E; Weaver, Kevan D ^[1]

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1. Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (United States)

A light water reactor (LWR) fuel cycle is proposed where the reactor core mainly consists of standard uranium-dioxide (UO{sub 2}) fuel rods with typical {sup 235}U enrichment, along with thoria-urania (ThO{sub 2}-UO{sub 2}) or yttria-stablized zirconia fertile-free fuel rods containing the plutonium and minor actinides typical of 30-yr old UO{sub 2} fuel in 1/9 to 1/3 of the positions. The goals of this mono-recycling strategy or 'twice through fuel cycle' are to transmute the great majority of the long lived actinides in existing LWRs and to discharge a fuel form that is a very robust waste form and whose isotopic content is very proliferation resistant. The incorporation of plutonium into a ThO{sub 2} or yttria-stablized zirconia fertile-free matrix results in the consumption of already-separated plutonium without breeding significant additional {sup 239}Pu. The minor actinides (i.e., neptunium, americium, curium, berkelium, californium, etc.) are also included in the ThO{sub 2} or fertile-free transmuter fuel rods to further reduce the overall long-term radiotoxicity of the fuel cycle. Our analyses have shown that thorium-based or fertile-free fuels can reduce the amount of {sup 239}Pu needing further transmutation or going to a repository by {approx}90%. Also, thorium-based fuels produce a mixture of plutonium isotopes high in {sup 238}Pu. Because of the high decay heat and spontaneous neutron generation of {sup 238}Pu, this isotope provides intrinsic proliferation resistance.

• OSTI ID: 20840209
• Journal Information: Nuclear Technology, Journal Name: Nuclear Technology Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 147; ISSN 0029-5450; ISSN NUTYBB
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
AMERICIUM
BERKELIUM
CALIFORNIUM
CURIUM
FUEL CYCLE
FUEL RODS
NEPTUNIUM
NUCLEAR FUELS
PLUTONIUM 238
PLUTONIUM 239
REACTOR CORES
THORIUM
THORIUM OXIDES
URANIUM 235
URANIUM DIOXIDE
WASTE FORMS
WATER COOLED REACTORS
WATER MODERATED REACTORS
YTTRIUM OXIDES
ZIRCONIUM OXIDES