Abstract
Traveling wave reactors are envisioned to run on depleted or natural uranium with no need for enrichment or reprocessing, and in a manner which requires little to no operator intervention. If feasible, this type of reactor has significant advantages over conventional nuclear power systems. However, a practical implementation of this concept is challenging as neutron irradiation levels many times greater than those in conventional reactors appear to be required for a fission wave to propagate. Radiation damage to the fuel and cladding materials presents a significant obstacle to a practical design. One possibility for reducing damage is to soften the neutron energy spectrum. Here we show that using a uranium oxide fuel form will allow a shift in the neutron spectrum that can result in at least a three fold decrease in dpa levels for fuel cladding and structural steels within the reactor compared with the dpa levels expected when using a uranium metal fuel. (authors)
Osborne, A. G.;
Deinert, M. R.
[1]
- Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, Univ. of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX (United States)
Citation Formats
Osborne, A. G., and Deinert, M. R.
Neutron damage reduction in a traveling wave reactor.
United States: N. p.,
2012.
Web.
Osborne, A. G., & Deinert, M. R.
Neutron damage reduction in a traveling wave reactor.
United States.
Osborne, A. G., and Deinert, M. R.
2012.
"Neutron damage reduction in a traveling wave reactor."
United States.
@misc{etde_22105673,
title = {Neutron damage reduction in a traveling wave reactor}
author = {Osborne, A. G., and Deinert, M. R.}
abstractNote = {Traveling wave reactors are envisioned to run on depleted or natural uranium with no need for enrichment or reprocessing, and in a manner which requires little to no operator intervention. If feasible, this type of reactor has significant advantages over conventional nuclear power systems. However, a practical implementation of this concept is challenging as neutron irradiation levels many times greater than those in conventional reactors appear to be required for a fission wave to propagate. Radiation damage to the fuel and cladding materials presents a significant obstacle to a practical design. One possibility for reducing damage is to soften the neutron energy spectrum. Here we show that using a uranium oxide fuel form will allow a shift in the neutron spectrum that can result in at least a three fold decrease in dpa levels for fuel cladding and structural steels within the reactor compared with the dpa levels expected when using a uranium metal fuel. (authors)}
place = {United States}
year = {2012}
month = {Jul}
}
title = {Neutron damage reduction in a traveling wave reactor}
author = {Osborne, A. G., and Deinert, M. R.}
abstractNote = {Traveling wave reactors are envisioned to run on depleted or natural uranium with no need for enrichment or reprocessing, and in a manner which requires little to no operator intervention. If feasible, this type of reactor has significant advantages over conventional nuclear power systems. However, a practical implementation of this concept is challenging as neutron irradiation levels many times greater than those in conventional reactors appear to be required for a fission wave to propagate. Radiation damage to the fuel and cladding materials presents a significant obstacle to a practical design. One possibility for reducing damage is to soften the neutron energy spectrum. Here we show that using a uranium oxide fuel form will allow a shift in the neutron spectrum that can result in at least a three fold decrease in dpa levels for fuel cladding and structural steels within the reactor compared with the dpa levels expected when using a uranium metal fuel. (authors)}
place = {United States}
year = {2012}
month = {Jul}
}