Neutronic Analysis of the Burning of Transuranics in Fully Ceramic Micro-Encapsulated Tri-Isotropic Particle-Fuel in a PWR
Abstract
Calculations have been performed to assess the neutronic behavior of pins of Fully-Ceramic Micro-encapsulated (FCM) fuel in otherwise-conventional Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) fuel pins. The FCM fuel contains transuranic (TRU) – only oxide fuel in tri-isotropic (TRISO) particles with the TRU loading coming from the spent fuel of a conventional LWR after 5 years of cooling. Use of the TRISO particle fuel would provide an additional barrier to fission product release in the event of cladding failure. Depletion calculations were performed to evaluate reactivity-limited burnup of the TRU-only FCM fuel. These calculations showed that due to relatively little space available for fuel, the achievable burnup with these pins alone is quite small. Various reactivity parameters were also evaluated at each burnup step including moderator temperature coefficient (MTC), Doppler, and soluble boron worth. These were compared to reference UO2 and MOX unit cells. The TRU-only FCM fuel exhibits degraded MTC and Doppler coefficients relative to UO2 and MOX. Also, the reactivity effects of coolant voiding suggest that the behavior of this fuel would be similar to a MOX fuel of very high plutonium fraction, which are known to have positive void reactivity. In general, loading of TRU-only FCM fuel into anmore »
- Authors:
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- DOE - NE
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1057206
- Report Number(s):
- INL/JOU-11-23982
Journal ID: ISSN 0029-5493
- DOE Contract Number:
- DE-AC07-05ID14517
- Resource Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal Name:
- Nuclear Engineering and Design
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Volume: 252; Journal ID: ISSN 0029-5493
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS; FCM; Fully-Encapsulated; Microstructure; PWR; Transuranics; TRISO; TRU
Citation Formats
Pope, Michael A, Sen, R Sonat, Ougouag, Abderrafi M, Youinou, Gilles, and Boer, Brian. Neutronic Analysis of the Burning of Transuranics in Fully Ceramic Micro-Encapsulated Tri-Isotropic Particle-Fuel in a PWR. United States: N. p., 2012.
Web. doi:10.1016/j.nucengdes.2012.07.013.
Pope, Michael A, Sen, R Sonat, Ougouag, Abderrafi M, Youinou, Gilles, & Boer, Brian. Neutronic Analysis of the Burning of Transuranics in Fully Ceramic Micro-Encapsulated Tri-Isotropic Particle-Fuel in a PWR. United States. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nucengdes.2012.07.013
Pope, Michael A, Sen, R Sonat, Ougouag, Abderrafi M, Youinou, Gilles, and Boer, Brian. 2012.
"Neutronic Analysis of the Burning of Transuranics in Fully Ceramic Micro-Encapsulated Tri-Isotropic Particle-Fuel in a PWR". United States. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nucengdes.2012.07.013.
@article{osti_1057206,
title = {Neutronic Analysis of the Burning of Transuranics in Fully Ceramic Micro-Encapsulated Tri-Isotropic Particle-Fuel in a PWR},
author = {Pope, Michael A and Sen, R Sonat and Ougouag, Abderrafi M and Youinou, Gilles and Boer, Brian},
abstractNote = {Calculations have been performed to assess the neutronic behavior of pins of Fully-Ceramic Micro-encapsulated (FCM) fuel in otherwise-conventional Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) fuel pins. The FCM fuel contains transuranic (TRU) – only oxide fuel in tri-isotropic (TRISO) particles with the TRU loading coming from the spent fuel of a conventional LWR after 5 years of cooling. Use of the TRISO particle fuel would provide an additional barrier to fission product release in the event of cladding failure. Depletion calculations were performed to evaluate reactivity-limited burnup of the TRU-only FCM fuel. These calculations showed that due to relatively little space available for fuel, the achievable burnup with these pins alone is quite small. Various reactivity parameters were also evaluated at each burnup step including moderator temperature coefficient (MTC), Doppler, and soluble boron worth. These were compared to reference UO2 and MOX unit cells. The TRU-only FCM fuel exhibits degraded MTC and Doppler coefficients relative to UO2 and MOX. Also, the reactivity effects of coolant voiding suggest that the behavior of this fuel would be similar to a MOX fuel of very high plutonium fraction, which are known to have positive void reactivity. In general, loading of TRU-only FCM fuel into an assembly without significant quantities of uranium presents challenges to the reactor design. However, if such FCM fuel pins are included in a heterogeneous assembly alongside LEU fuel pins, the overall reactivity behavior is dominated by the uranium pins while attractive TRU destruction performance levels in the TRU-only FCM fuel pins is. From this work, it is concluded that use of heterogeneous assemblies such as these appears feasible from a preliminary reactor physics standpoint.},
doi = {10.1016/j.nucengdes.2012.07.013},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1057206},
journal = {Nuclear Engineering and Design},
issn = {0029-5493},
number = ,
volume = 252,
place = {United States},
year = {Thu Nov 01 00:00:00 EDT 2012},
month = {Thu Nov 01 00:00:00 EDT 2012}
}