Improving proliferation resistance of high breeding gain generation 4 reactors using blankets composed of light water reactor waste

Conference · Mon Jul 01 00:00:00 EDT 2013

OSTI ID:22257861

Hellesen, C.; Grape, S.; Haakanson, A.; Jacobson Svaerd, S.; Jansson, P. ^[1]

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1. Division of Applied Nuclear Physics, Uppsala University, Aangstroemlaboratoriet Laegerhyddsvaegen 1, 751 20 Uppsala (Sweden)

Fertile blankets can be used in fast reactors to enhance the breeding gain as well as the passive safety characteristics. However, such blankets typically result in the production of weapons grade plutonium. For this reason they are often excluded from Generation IV reactor designs. In this paper we demonstrate that using blankets manufactured directly from spent light water (LWR) reactor fuel it is possible to produce a plutonium product with non-proliferation characteristics on a par with spent LWR fuel of 30-50 MWd/kg burnup. The beneficial breeding and safety characteristics are retained. (authors)

• Research Organization: American Nuclear Society, 555 North Kensington Avenue, La Grange Park, IL 60526 (United States)
• OSTI ID: 22257861
• Resource Relation: Conference: GLOBAL 2013: International Nuclear Fuel Cycle Conference - Nuclear Energy at a Crossroads, Salt Lake City, UT (United States), 29 Sep - 3 Oct 2013; Other Information: Country of input: France; 9 refs.; Related Information: In: Proceedings of GLOBAL 2013: International Nuclear Fuel Cycle Conference - Nuclear Energy at a Crossroads| 1633 p.
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

98 NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT
SAFEGUARDS AND PHYSICAL PROTECTION
21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
BREEDING
BURNUP
FAST REACTORS
NUCLEAR FUELS
PLUTONIUM
PROLIFERATION
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
SAFETY
WATER COOLED REACTORS
WATER MODERATED REACTORS