Light water breeding with nitride fuel

Bo Feng; Eugene Shwageraus; Benoit Forget; Mujid S. Kazimi

doi:10.1016/j.pnucene.2011.06.001

Light water breeding with nitride fuel

Bo Feng, Eugene Shwageraus, Benoit Forget, Mujid S. Kazimi

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

17 Scopus citations

Abstract

This scoping study proposes using mixed nitride fuel in Pu-based high conversion LWR designs in order to increase the breeding ratio. The higher density fuel reduces the hydrogen-to-heavy metal ratio in the reactor which results in a harder spectrum in which breeding is more effective. A Resource-renewable Boiling Water Reactor (RBWR) assembly was modeled in MCNP to demonstrate this effect in a typical high conversion LWR design. It was determined that changing the fuel from (U,TRU)O₂ to (U,TRU)N in the assembly can increase its fissile inventory ratio (fissile Pu mass divided by initial fissile Pu mass) from 1.04 to up to 1.17.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	862-866
Number of pages	5
Journal	Progress in Nuclear Energy
Volume	53
Issue number	7
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pnucene.2011.06.001
State	Published - 1 Sep 2011
Externally published	Yes

Keywords

Breeding
Light water reactor
Nitride fuel
RBWR

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Nuclear Energy and Engineering
Safety, Risk, Reliability and Quality
Energy Engineering and Power Technology
Waste Management and Disposal

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Access to Document

10.1016/j.pnucene.2011.06.001

Cite this

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title = "Light water breeding with nitride fuel",

abstract = "This scoping study proposes using mixed nitride fuel in Pu-based high conversion LWR designs in order to increase the breeding ratio. The higher density fuel reduces the hydrogen-to-heavy metal ratio in the reactor which results in a harder spectrum in which breeding is more effective. A Resource-renewable Boiling Water Reactor (RBWR) assembly was modeled in MCNP to demonstrate this effect in a typical high conversion LWR design. It was determined that changing the fuel from (U,TRU)O2 to (U,TRU)N in the assembly can increase its fissile inventory ratio (fissile Pu mass divided by initial fissile Pu mass) from 1.04 to up to 1.17.",

keywords = "Breeding, Light water reactor, Nitride fuel, RBWR",

author = "Bo Feng and Eugene Shwageraus and Benoit Forget and Kazimi, {Mujid S.}",

note = "Funding Information: This research was part of the MIT study on “The Future of Nuclear Fuel Cycle” sponsored by a consortium of industry and laboratories, including AREVA, EPRI, NEI, and INL. The authors would also like to thank Dr. Aydin Karahan and Dr. Ed Pilat for their help and contributions. ",

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AU - Shwageraus, Eugene

AU - Forget, Benoit

AU - Kazimi, Mujid S.

N1 - Funding Information: This research was part of the MIT study on “The Future of Nuclear Fuel Cycle” sponsored by a consortium of industry and laboratories, including AREVA, EPRI, NEI, and INL. The authors would also like to thank Dr. Aydin Karahan and Dr. Ed Pilat for their help and contributions.

PY - 2011/9/1

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N2 - This scoping study proposes using mixed nitride fuel in Pu-based high conversion LWR designs in order to increase the breeding ratio. The higher density fuel reduces the hydrogen-to-heavy metal ratio in the reactor which results in a harder spectrum in which breeding is more effective. A Resource-renewable Boiling Water Reactor (RBWR) assembly was modeled in MCNP to demonstrate this effect in a typical high conversion LWR design. It was determined that changing the fuel from (U,TRU)O2 to (U,TRU)N in the assembly can increase its fissile inventory ratio (fissile Pu mass divided by initial fissile Pu mass) from 1.04 to up to 1.17.

AB - This scoping study proposes using mixed nitride fuel in Pu-based high conversion LWR designs in order to increase the breeding ratio. The higher density fuel reduces the hydrogen-to-heavy metal ratio in the reactor which results in a harder spectrum in which breeding is more effective. A Resource-renewable Boiling Water Reactor (RBWR) assembly was modeled in MCNP to demonstrate this effect in a typical high conversion LWR design. It was determined that changing the fuel from (U,TRU)O2 to (U,TRU)N in the assembly can increase its fissile inventory ratio (fissile Pu mass divided by initial fissile Pu mass) from 1.04 to up to 1.17.

KW - Breeding

KW - Light water reactor

KW - Nitride fuel

KW - RBWR

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Light water breeding with nitride fuel

Abstract

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

UN SDGs

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