Design study of Thorium-232 and Protactinium-231 based fuel for long life BWR

Journal Article · Wed Jun 06 04:00:00 EDT 2012 · AIP Conference Proceedings

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4725442· OSTI ID:22004180

Trianti, N; Su'ud, Z; Riyana, E S ^[1]

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1. Nuclear Physics and Biophysics Research Division Department of Physics - Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB) Jalan Ganeca 10 Bandung 40132 (Indonesia)

A preliminary design study for the utilization of thorium added with {sup 231}Pa based fuel on BWR type reactor has been performed. In the previous research utilization of fuel based Thorium-232 and Uranium-233 show 10 years operation time with maximum excess-reactivity about 4.075% dk/k. To increase reactor operation time and reduce excess-reactivity below 1% dk/k, Protactinium (Pa-231) is used as Burnable Poison. Protactinium-231 has very interesting neutronic properties, which enable the core to reduce initial excess-reactivity and simultaneously increase production of {sup 233}U to {sup 231}Pa in burn-up process. Optimizations of the content of {sup 231}Pa in the core enables the BWR core to sustain long period of operation time with reasonable burn-up reactivity swing. Based on the optimization of fuel element composition (Th and Pa) in various moderation ratio we can get reactor core with longer operation time, 20 {approx} 30 years operation without fuel shuffling or refuelling, with average power densities maximum of about 35 watt/cc, and maximum excess-reactivity 0.56% dk/k.

• OSTI ID: 22004180
• Journal Information: AIP Conference Proceedings, Journal Name: AIP Conference Proceedings Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 1448; ISSN APCPCS; ISSN 0094-243X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS
BURNABLE POISONS
BWR TYPE REACTORS
DESIGN
NUCLEAR FUELS
PROTACTINIUM
PROTACTINIUM 231
REACTIVITY
REACTOR CORES
REACTOR FUELING
REACTOR OPERATION
THORIUM
THORIUM 232
URANIUM 233