A possibility of highly efficient uranium utilization with a pebble bed fast reactor

Ryu, Kouichi; Sekimoto, Hiroshi

doi:10.1016/s0306-4549(99)00116-4

Cited by 17 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…Although we have performed our neutronics analysis assuming solid U0 2 pebbles, which would require perforated cladding, many other possibilities warrant future work. The UN fuel with a central void proposed by Ryu and Sekimoto is an especially intriguing option [16]. While alternative fuel composition and cladding options will certainly alter our quantitative results, they would not significantly change the fundamental advantages of an L-mode tokamak fission-fusion hybrid with natural uranium.…”

Section: Pebble Structurementioning

confidence: 90%

A fission-fusion hybrid reactor in steady-state L-mode tokamak configuration with natural uranium

Reed¹,

Parker²,

Forget³

2012

AIP Conference Proceedings

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The most prevalent criticism of fission-fusion hybrids is simply that they are too exotic -that they would exacerbate the challenges of both fission and fusion. This is not really true. Intriguingly, hybrids could actually be more viable than stand-alone fusion reactors while mitigating many challenges of fission. This work develops a conceptual design for a fission-fusion hybrid reactor in steady-state L-mode tokamak configuration with a subcritical natural or depleted uranium pebble bed blanket. A liquid lithiumlead alloy breeds enough tritium to replenish that consumed by the D-T fusion reaction. Subcritical operation could obviate the most challenging fuel cycle aspects of fission. The fission blanket augments the fusion power such that the fusion core itself need not have a high power gain, thus allowing for fully non-inductive (steady-state) low confinement mode (L-mode) operation at relatively small physical dimensions.A neutron transport Monte Carlo code models the natural uranium fission blanket. Maximizing the fission power while breeding sufficient tritium allows for the selection of an optimal set of blanket parameters, which yields a maximum prudent fission power gain of 7.7.A 0-D tokamak model suffices to analyze approximate tokamak operating conditions. If the definition of a "reactor" is a device with a total power gain of 40, then this fission blanket would allow the fusion component of a hybrid reactor with the same dimensions as ITER to operate in steady-state L-mode very comfortably with a fusion power gain of 6.7 and a thermal fusion power of 2.1 GW. Taking this further can determine the approximate minimum scale for a steady-state L-mode tokamak hybrid reactor, which is a major radius of 5.2 in and an aspect ratio of 2.8. This minimum scale device operates barely within the steady-state L-mode realm with a thermal fusion power of 1.7 GW. This hybrid, with its very fast neutron spectrum, could be superior to pure fission reactors in terms of breeding fissile fuel and transmuting deleterious fission products. It could operate either as a breeder, producing fuel for pure fission reactors from natural or depleted uranium, or as a deep burner, fissioning heavy metal and transmuting waste with a cycle time of decades. Despite a plethora of potential functions, its primary Mark Reedmission is deemed to be that of a deep burner producing baseload commercial power with a once-through fuel cycle. Although hybrids are often purported a priori to pose an elevated proliferation risk, this reactor breeds plutonium that could actually be more proliferation-resistant than that bred by fast reactors. Furthermore, a novel method (the "variable fixed source method") can maintain constant total hybrid power output as burnup proceeds by varying the neutron source strength.As for engineering feasibility, basic thermal hydraulic analysis demonstrates that pressurized helium could cool the pebble bed fission blanket with a flow rate below 10 m/s. The Brayton cycle thermal efficiency is 41%.This device is d...

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Section: Pebble Structurementioning

confidence: 90%

A fission-fusion hybrid reactor in steady-state L-mode tokamak configuration with natural uranium

Reed¹,

Parker²,

Forget³

2012

AIP Conference Proceedings

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“…The TRISO particles can be cooled directly using a fuel assembly similar to the GBR-2 design discussed earlier. Other investigators focus on fuel pebbles, either with TRISO particles inside of the pebbles (e.g., the PB-GCFR, [29]), or using a novel "hollow pebble" concept, as discussed in [30,31]. Other proposed design feature prismatic fuel blocks with coolant channels.…”

Section: Typical System Designs For Gen IV Gfrsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gas‐Cooled Fast Reactor: A Historical Overview and Future Outlook

Rooijen

2009

Science and Technology of Nuclear Installations

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A review is given of developments in the area of Gas-Cooled Fast Reactors (GCFR) in the period from roughly 1960 until 1980. During that period, the GCFR concept was expected to increase the breeding gain, the thermal efficiency of a nuclear power plant, and alleviate some of the problems associated with liquid metal coolants. During this period, the GCFR concept was found to be more challenging than liquid-metal-cooled reactors, and none were ever constructed. In the second part of the paper, we provide an overview of the investigations on GCFR since the year 2000, when the Generation IV Initiative rekindled interest in this reactor type. The new GCFR concepts focus primarily on sustainable nuclear power, with very efficient resource use, minimum waste, and a very strong focus on (passive) safety. An overview is presented of the main design characteristics of these Gen IV GCFRs, and a literature list is provided to guide the interested reader towards more detailed publications.

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Numerical studies of stepwise radial fuel shuffling in a traveling wave reactor

Zhang

Zheng

et al. 2014

Sci. China Technol. Sci.

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A possibility of highly efficient uranium utilization with a pebble bed fast reactor

Cited by 17 publications

References 5 publications

A fission-fusion hybrid reactor in steady-state L-mode tokamak configuration with natural uranium

A fission-fusion hybrid reactor in steady-state L-mode tokamak configuration with natural uranium

Gas‐Cooled Fast Reactor: A Historical Overview and Future Outlook

Numerical studies of stepwise radial fuel shuffling in a traveling wave reactor

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