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Title: The combined hybrid system: A symbiotic thermal reactor/fast reactor system for power generation and radioactive waste toxicity reduction

Abstract

If there is to be a next generation of nuclear power in the United States, then the four fundamental obstacles confronting nuclear power technology must be overcome: safety, cost, waste management, and proliferation resistance. The Combined Hybrid System (CHS) is proposed as a possible solution to the problems preventing a vigorous resurgence of nuclear power. The CHS combines Thermal Reactors (for operability, safety, and cost) and Integral Fast Reactors (for waste treatment and actinide burning) in a symbiotic large scale system. The CHS addresses the safety and cost issues through the use of advanced reactor designs, the waste management issue through the use of actinide burning, and the proliferation resistance issue through the use of an integral fuel cycle with co-located components. There are nine major components in the Combined Hybrid System linked by nineteen nuclear material mass flow streams. A computer code, CHASM, is used to analyze the mass flow rates CHS, and the reactor support ratio (the ratio of thermal/fast reactors), IFR of the system. The primary advantages of the CHS are its essentially actinide-free high-level radioactive waste, plus improved reactor safety, uranium utilization, and widening of the option base. The primary disadvantages of the CHS are themore » large capacity of IFRs required (approximately one MW{sub e} IFR capacity for every three MW{sub e} Thermal Reactor) and the novel radioactive waste streams produced by the CHS. The capability of the IFR to burn pure transuranic fuel, a primary assumption of this study, has yet to be proven. The Combined Hybrid System represents an attractive option for future nuclear power development; that disposal of the essentially actinide-free radioactive waste produced by the CHS provides an excellent alternative to the disposal of intact actinide-bearing Light Water Reactor spent fuel (reducing the toxicity based lifetime of the waste from roughly 360,000 years to about 510 years).« less

Authors:
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Massachusetts Inst. of Tech., Cambridge, MA (United States). Dept. of Nuclear Engineering
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE; USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
OSTI Identifier:
6123714
Report Number(s):
DOE/OR/00033-T466
DOE Contract Number:  
AC05-76OR00033
Resource Type:
Technical Report
Resource Relation:
Other Information: Thesis (Ph.D.)
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS; 22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS; C CODES; IFR REACTOR; FEASIBILITY STUDIES; MASS TRANSFER; ACTINIDE BURNER REACTORS; COMPUTER PROGRAM DOCUMENTATION; COST ESTIMATION; ECONOMIC ANALYSIS; FLOW RATE; NUCLEAR ENGINEERING; POWER GENERATION; PROLIFERATION; RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL; RADIOACTIVE WASTE PROCESSING; REACTOR SAFETY; THERMAL REACTORS; COMPUTER CODES; ECONOMICS; ENGINEERING; EPITHERMAL REACTORS; EXPERIMENTAL REACTORS; FAST REACTORS; MANAGEMENT; PROCESSING; RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT; REACTORS; RESEARCH AND TEST REACTORS; SAFETY; WASTE DISPOSAL; WASTE MANAGEMENT; WASTE PROCESSING; ZERO POWER REACTORS; 210500* - Power Reactors, Breeding; 220900 - Nuclear Reactor Technology- Reactor Safety

Citation Formats

Hollaway, W R. The combined hybrid system: A symbiotic thermal reactor/fast reactor system for power generation and radioactive waste toxicity reduction. United States: N. p., 1991. Web.
Hollaway, W R. The combined hybrid system: A symbiotic thermal reactor/fast reactor system for power generation and radioactive waste toxicity reduction. United States.
Hollaway, W R. 1991. "The combined hybrid system: A symbiotic thermal reactor/fast reactor system for power generation and radioactive waste toxicity reduction". United States.
@article{osti_6123714,
title = {The combined hybrid system: A symbiotic thermal reactor/fast reactor system for power generation and radioactive waste toxicity reduction},
author = {Hollaway, W R},
abstractNote = {If there is to be a next generation of nuclear power in the United States, then the four fundamental obstacles confronting nuclear power technology must be overcome: safety, cost, waste management, and proliferation resistance. The Combined Hybrid System (CHS) is proposed as a possible solution to the problems preventing a vigorous resurgence of nuclear power. The CHS combines Thermal Reactors (for operability, safety, and cost) and Integral Fast Reactors (for waste treatment and actinide burning) in a symbiotic large scale system. The CHS addresses the safety and cost issues through the use of advanced reactor designs, the waste management issue through the use of actinide burning, and the proliferation resistance issue through the use of an integral fuel cycle with co-located components. There are nine major components in the Combined Hybrid System linked by nineteen nuclear material mass flow streams. A computer code, CHASM, is used to analyze the mass flow rates CHS, and the reactor support ratio (the ratio of thermal/fast reactors), IFR of the system. The primary advantages of the CHS are its essentially actinide-free high-level radioactive waste, plus improved reactor safety, uranium utilization, and widening of the option base. The primary disadvantages of the CHS are the large capacity of IFRs required (approximately one MW{sub e} IFR capacity for every three MW{sub e} Thermal Reactor) and the novel radioactive waste streams produced by the CHS. The capability of the IFR to burn pure transuranic fuel, a primary assumption of this study, has yet to be proven. The Combined Hybrid System represents an attractive option for future nuclear power development; that disposal of the essentially actinide-free radioactive waste produced by the CHS provides an excellent alternative to the disposal of intact actinide-bearing Light Water Reactor spent fuel (reducing the toxicity based lifetime of the waste from roughly 360,000 years to about 510 years).},
doi = {},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/6123714}, journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Thu Aug 01 00:00:00 EDT 1991},
month = {Thu Aug 01 00:00:00 EDT 1991}
}

Technical Report:
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