Efficiency of transmutation of long-lived radiotoxicity in different nuclear plants

Bergel'son, B. R.; Balyuk, S. A.

doi:10.1007/bf02415741

At Energy

1996

DOI: 10.1007/bf02415741

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Efficiency of transmutation of long-lived radiotoxicity in different nuclear plants

B. R. Bergel'son¹,

S. A. Balyuk²

Abstract: The initial data for performing investigations directed toward elimination (transmutation) of radioactive wastes are the amount and composition of the long-lived nuclides contained in them. The results of a calculation of these characteristics depending on the scenario of development of nuclear power are presented in [1]. It is obvious that to determine the optimal transmutation, its efficiency in different types of nuclear plants, including both thermal and fast power reactors, must be compared already at the… Show more

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Cited by 4 publications

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“…4 describe this process. It should be noted that neptunium, americium, and curium are mainly long-lived α-emitters, i.e., they possess radiotoxicity, the toxicity most dangerous to man [4]. For this reason, the possibility of salvaging them usefully in a closed fuel cycle is attractive.…”

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VVER nuclear fuel burnup with different absorbers

et al. 2011

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A computational study is performed of the fuel burnup in VVER-1000 using different absorbers in open and closed fuel cycles. It is shown that mixtures of plutonium isotopes (energy and others) can give the same effect as gadolinium, which is currently used. Fuel burnup increases. When neptunium, americium, and curium isotopes are used as a consumable absorber in a closed fuel cycle, the accompanying effect is elimination of long-lived α-emitting radionuclides which have accumulated in long-term repositories.The main sources of energy for nuclear power plants which are currently operating or under construction are water moderated and cooled light-water reactors. Such facilities will be used in the future in the construction of nuclear power plants in different countries irrespective of the specific provisions of the national plans for the development of nuclear power. This article presents the results of comparative computational studies of fuel burnup in open and closed nuclear fuel cycles. The calculations were performed using the standard parameters of VVER-1000.The enrichment of uranium used as fuel is the main, though not the only, indicator of the cost-effectiveness of nuclear power plants with VVER-1000. The consumption of natural uranium, the number of units of separation work, and probably most importantly the fuel burnup, which determines the operating expenses and the cost of fabricating new fuel elements depend on the enrichment.The main objective of scientific-technical developments concerning the fuel cycle of power reactors is to increase the fuel burnup. Ordinarily, it is achieved by increasing the initial enrichment and using consumable absorbers. As enrichment increases, the consumable absorber decreases the multiplication properties of the reactor core at the run start to a value which can be compensated by the safety and control system. Gd 2 O 3 is added to VVER-1000 fuel as the consumable absorber. The isotopic composition of natural gadolinium and the absorption cross section of thermal neutrons at 0.0253 eV of separate isotopes are presented in Table 1. In the present work, the MCNP program [1] and the system of programs SCALE [2] were used to calculate fuel burnup. Figure 1 shows the dependence of the multiplication coefficient K cell of a cell as a function of the burnup W. A cell is taken to mean a standard fuel assembly containing 316 fuel elements, 12 channels for control rods, and a central tube.The computed curves illustrate the change in K cell during a VVER-1000 run: curve 1 -fuel containing only UO 2 with 5% enrichment is loaded into the core; curve 2 -fuel containing UO 2 with 5% enrichment is loaded into the core; gadolinium in the form Gd 2 O 3 (3.7% of the uranium mass) is added as the consumable absorber to 12 fuel elements of each fuel assembly.

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“…3) the addition to enriched uranium all isotopes of neptunium, americium, and curium, produced in power reactors of any type, in a closed fuel cycle permits maintaining a constant level of radiotoxicity, determined by the long-lived α-emitting nuclides, which otherwise accumulate in long-term storage facilities for spent fuel of nuclear reactors [4].…”

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VVER nuclear fuel burnup with different absorbers

et al. 2011

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Subcritical system (target-blanket) for transmutation of the actinides

et al. 1997

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The results published in [1] attest to the fact that the transmutation of Np, Am, and Cm -the most dangerous long-lived a-emitters -can be accomplished quite effectively in a specialized system with a high thermal-neutron flux. The initial data for calculating the capacity of such a system are the amount and composition of the nuclides. These data are given in [2] for different U-Pu fuel cycles.In the present paper we report the results of investigations whose purpose was to determe the basic parameters of a transmutation system for Np, Am, and Cm. The system contains a proton accelerator, a target where high-energy protons and neutrons are converted, a subcritical blanket where multiplication of neutrons occurs by means of fission and transmutation of Np, Am, and Cm, and a system for removing the energy released in the blanket and the target.Such systems must meet requirements which limit the possible design solutions: As a result of the high cost of the accelerator, Np, Am, and Cm, which are produced by several tens of power reactors (BBER-1000), must be transmuted in the same system. For this reason, the thermal power of the blanket should equal several thousands of MW.The high capacity of th e system and the fact that efficient conversion of protons into neutrons must occur in a comparatively small volume mean that a heavy liquid metal or a eutectic alloy of such metals must be used as the target.The irrevocable losses of long-lived radionuclides in the transmutation process must not exceed 0.1% of the radiotoxicity of the actinides which are used to replenish the system. By using liquid fuel these losses can be reduced to a minimum and, which is less important, a high specific load on the fuel, necessary to ensuring low subcriticality, can be achieved.Nuclear plants, specifically, transmutation plants are an inevitable and at the same time the most dangerous location for storing radionuclides. For this reason, for safety purposes, efforts must be made to increase the average neutron flux in the blanket. With the power maintained constant, this will make it possible to decrease the amount of long-lived radionuclides which are constantly present in it. Close to optimal conditions for transmutation of the actinides are achieved with an average thermal neutron flux density in the blanket r > 10 t5 sec-hcm-2. For lower values of r at the start of the transmutation process, the long-lived radiotoxicity continues to increase for a long time ( _> 100 years) up to a comparatively high equilibrium level [1]. Such fluxes can be achieved only by minimizing the amount of construction materials and fission products in the blanket as well as the time during which the liquid fuel is kept outside the irradiation zone [3].In the case of a closed fuel cycle, the amount of plutonium used for transmutation of Np, Am, and Cm should not exceed several percent of the amount generated in power reactors. Otherwise, the cost of transmutation could be excessive, and the number of serviced power reactors with fixed capacity will be sm...

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et al. 2002

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Efficiency of transmutation of long-lived radiotoxicity in different nuclear plants

Cited by 4 publications

References 2 publications

VVER nuclear fuel burnup with different absorbers

VVER nuclear fuel burnup with different absorbers

Subcritical system (target-blanket) for transmutation of the actinides

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