Optimized fissile and fusile breeding in a laser-fusion fissile-enrichment flux trap blanket

Journal Article · Wed Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 1981 · J. Fusion Energy; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01050361· OSTI ID:5135312

Ragheb, M M.H.

Optimization of fissile and fusile production in the SOLASE-H laser-fusion fissile-enrichment fuel-factory blanket is carried out. The objective is maximizing fissile breeding with the constraints of maintaining self-sufficiency in tritium production, and realistically accounting in the modeling for structural and coolant compositions and configurations imposed by the thermal-hydraulic and mechanical designs. The effect of radial and axial blanketzone thicknesses on fusile and fissile breeding is studied using a procedure which modifies the zones' effective optical thicknesses, rather than the actual three-dimensional geometrical configurations. A tritium yield per source neutron of 1.08 and a Th (/eta/,..gamma..) reaction yield per source neutron of 0.43 can be obtained in such a concept, where ThO/sub 2/ Zircaloy-clad fuel assemblies for light water reactors (LWRs) are enriched in the /sup 233/U isotope by irradiating them in a lead flux trap. This corresponds to 0.77 kg/(MW(th)-year) of fissile fuel producti n, and 1.94 years of irradiation in the fusion reactor to attain an average 3 w/o fissile enrichment in the fuel assemblies. For a once-through LWR cycle, a support ratioof 2-3 is estimated. However, with fuel recycling, more attractive support ratios of 4-6 may be attainable for a conversion ratio of 0.55, and of 5-8 for a conversion ratio of 0.70. These estimates are lower than those reported, around 20, for related designs.

• Research Organization: Univ. of Illinois, Urbana, IL
• OSTI ID: 5135312
• Journal Information: J. Fusion Energy; (United States), Journal Name: J. Fusion Energy; (United States) Vol. 1:3; ISSN JFEND
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
700201 -- Fusion Power Plant Technology-- Blanket Engineering
700205 -- Fusion Power Plant Technology-- Fuel
Heating
& Injection Systems
700208* -- Fusion Power Plant Technology-- Inertial Confinement Technology
ACTINIDE COMPOUNDS
ACTINIDE ISOTOPES
ACTINIDE NUCLEI
ALPHA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BARYON REACTIONS
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BREEDING
BREEDING BLANKETS
BREEDING RATIO
CHALCOGENIDES
COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION
CONVERSION RATIO
DESIGN
EVEN-ODD NUCLEI
FISSILE MATERIALS
FISSIONABLE MATERIALS
FUEL ASSEMBLIES
HADRON REACTIONS
HEAVY NUCLEI
HYBRID REACTORS
HYDROGEN ISOTOPES
ISOTOPES
LASER FUSION REACTORS
LIGHT NUCLEI
MATERIALS
MONTE CARLO METHOD
NEUTRON REACTIONS
NUCLEAR FUEL CONVERSION
NUCLEAR REACTION YIELD
NUCLEAR REACTIONS
NUCLEI
NUCLEON REACTIONS
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
OPTIMIZATION
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PWR TYPE REACTORS
RADIOISOTOPES
REACTOR COMPONENTS
REACTORS
SIMULATION
THERMONUCLEAR REACTORS
THORIUM COMPOUNDS
THORIUM OXIDES
THREE-DIMENSIONAL CALCULATIONS
TRITIUM
URANIUM 233
URANIUM ISOTOPES
WATER COOLED REACTORS
WATER MODERATED REACTORS
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
YIELDS