Investigations of fuel cycle and core characteristics of VVER- and BN-type reactors using weapons-grade plutonium

Journal Article · Tue Dec 31 04:00:00 EST 1996 · Transactions of the American Nuclear Society

OSTI ID:426615

Poplavski, V; Kagramanian, V; Kalashnikov, A; Matveev, V ^[1]

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1. Inst. of Physics and Power Engineering, Kaluga Region (Russian Federation); and others

Within the framework of the agreement signed in November 1992 between the governments of France and the Russian Federation for the safe elimination of Russian nuclear weapons and the civil use of their nuclear materials, Commissariat a l`Energie Atomique (CEA) with the support of Framatome and the Institute of Physics and Power Engineering (IPPE) of Obninsk with the participation of RSC Kurchatov Institute and RDB Gidropress have begun to cooperate actively to assess the technical feasibility of weapons-grade plutonium recycling in existing and near-term Russian reactors. The joint activity includes cross-comparisons and validation of neutronic calculational schemes for light water and fast reactors, assessments of core physical parameter with 20 to 100% of weapons-grade mixed-oxide (MOX) fuel fractions, and the evaluation of the maximum allowable weapons-grade plutonium fraction in the VVER-1000 and the BN-600 with minor adaptations of the reactivity control and other safety systems.

• OSTI ID: 426615
• Report Number(s): CONF-961103--
• Journal Information: Transactions of the American Nuclear Society, Journal Name: Transactions of the American Nuclear Society Vol. 75; ISSN 0003-018X; ISSN TANSAO
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

05 NUCLEAR FUELS
21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
BURNUP
FUEL CYCLE
LMFBR TYPE REACTORS
MIXED OXIDE FUELS
PLUTONIUM
PWR TYPE REACTORS