A Simplified Supercritical Fast Reactor with Thorium Fuel

Super-Critical water-cooled Fast Reactor (SCFR) is a feasible option for the Gen-IV SCWR designs, in which much less moderator and thus coolant are needed for transferring the fission heat from the core compared with the traditional LWRs. The fast spectrum of SCFR is useful for fuel breeding and tho...

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Main Authors: Peng Zhang, Kan Wang, Ganglin Yu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2014-01-01
Series:Science and Technology of Nuclear Installations
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/405654
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author Peng Zhang
Kan Wang
Ganglin Yu
author_facet Peng Zhang
Kan Wang
Ganglin Yu
author_sort Peng Zhang
collection DOAJ
description Super-Critical water-cooled Fast Reactor (SCFR) is a feasible option for the Gen-IV SCWR designs, in which much less moderator and thus coolant are needed for transferring the fission heat from the core compared with the traditional LWRs. The fast spectrum of SCFR is useful for fuel breeding and thorium utilization, which is then beneficial for enhancing the sustainability of the nuclear fuel cycle. A SCFR core is constructed in this work, with the aim of simplifying the mechanical structure and keeping negative coolant void reactivity during the whole core life. A core burnup simulation scheme based on Monte Carlo lattice homogenization is adopted in this study, and the reactor physics analysis has been performed with DU-MOX and Th-MOX fuel. The main issues discussed include the fuel conversion ratio and the coolant void reactivity. The analysis shows that thorium-based fuel can provide inherent safety for SCFR without use of blanket, which is favorable for the mechanical design of SCFR.
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institution OA Journals
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spelling doaj-art-995c292cec6d4ec5816ccd709a37ac282025-08-20T02:10:17ZengWileyScience and Technology of Nuclear Installations1687-60751687-60832014-01-01201410.1155/2014/405654405654A Simplified Supercritical Fast Reactor with Thorium FuelPeng Zhang0Kan Wang1Ganglin Yu2Department of Engineering Physics, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, ChinaDepartment of Engineering Physics, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, ChinaDepartment of Engineering Physics, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, ChinaSuper-Critical water-cooled Fast Reactor (SCFR) is a feasible option for the Gen-IV SCWR designs, in which much less moderator and thus coolant are needed for transferring the fission heat from the core compared with the traditional LWRs. The fast spectrum of SCFR is useful for fuel breeding and thorium utilization, which is then beneficial for enhancing the sustainability of the nuclear fuel cycle. A SCFR core is constructed in this work, with the aim of simplifying the mechanical structure and keeping negative coolant void reactivity during the whole core life. A core burnup simulation scheme based on Monte Carlo lattice homogenization is adopted in this study, and the reactor physics analysis has been performed with DU-MOX and Th-MOX fuel. The main issues discussed include the fuel conversion ratio and the coolant void reactivity. The analysis shows that thorium-based fuel can provide inherent safety for SCFR without use of blanket, which is favorable for the mechanical design of SCFR.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/405654
spellingShingle Peng Zhang
Kan Wang
Ganglin Yu
A Simplified Supercritical Fast Reactor with Thorium Fuel
Science and Technology of Nuclear Installations
title A Simplified Supercritical Fast Reactor with Thorium Fuel
title_full A Simplified Supercritical Fast Reactor with Thorium Fuel
title_fullStr A Simplified Supercritical Fast Reactor with Thorium Fuel
title_full_unstemmed A Simplified Supercritical Fast Reactor with Thorium Fuel
title_short A Simplified Supercritical Fast Reactor with Thorium Fuel
title_sort simplified supercritical fast reactor with thorium fuel
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/405654
work_keys_str_mv AT pengzhang asimplifiedsupercriticalfastreactorwiththoriumfuel
AT kanwang asimplifiedsupercriticalfastreactorwiththoriumfuel
AT ganglinyu asimplifiedsupercriticalfastreactorwiththoriumfuel
AT pengzhang simplifiedsupercriticalfastreactorwiththoriumfuel
AT kanwang simplifiedsupercriticalfastreactorwiththoriumfuel
AT ganglinyu simplifiedsupercriticalfastreactorwiththoriumfuel