Performance optimization of the CANDLE reactor for nuclear energy sustainability

Sekimoto, Hiroshi; Nagata, Akito

doi:10.1016/j.enconman.2009.12.045

Cited by 12 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…In [24], a method was designed to optimize sustainability of a combined heat and power generation system integrated wastewater treatment plant. In [25], sustainability optimization was also pointed out in the nuclear industry.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sustainability and Optimization: From Conceptual Fundamentals to Applications

2020

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In recent years, both sustainability and optimization concepts have become inseparable developing topics with diverse concepts, elements, and aspects. The principal goal of optimization is to improve the overall sustainability including the environmental sustainability, social sustainability, economic sustainability, and energy resources sustainability through satisfying the objective functions. Therefore, applying optimization algorithms and methods to achieve the sustainable development have significant importance. This paper represents a considerable review on the employed optimization methodologies to sustainability and the sustainable development including sustainable energy, sustainable buildings, and sustainable environment. Since energy optimization is one of the major necessities of sustainability, sustainable development is investigated from the energy perspective. In addition, the concept, definitions, and elements of the sustainability and optimization have been presented, and the review of the optimization metaheuristic algorithms used in recent published articles related to sustainability and sustainable development was carried out. Thus, it is believed that this paper can be appropriate, beneficial, and practical for students, academic researchers, engineers, and other professionals.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sustainability and Optimization: From Conceptual Fundamentals to Applications

2020

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“…Currently, the cladding material SS316, which was used in SFR core designs, is able to withstand irradiation up to 150 displacements per atom 32 . Nagata et al 33 and Sekimoto et al 34 provide a solution for this problem, which is called a recladding strategy. In this strategy, when the cladding material has reached its maximum irradiation, it is replaced with a new cladding.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Neutronic analysis of sodium‐cooled fast reactor design with different fuel types using modified CANDLE shuffling strategy in a radial direction

et al. 2021

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Summary This study compares three fuel types using neutronic analysis for use in a sodium‐cooled fast reactor (SFR) design with a modified CANDLE (Constant Axial shape of Neutron flux, nuclide densities, and power shape During Life of Energy production) radial shuffling strategy. SFR is one type of generation IV reactor that is currently under investigation for commercial implementation. In this study, the SFR design utilizes natural uranium as the fuel input. The designed reactor core has a two‐dimensional cylindrical geometry for each fuel mixed oxide (MOX), uranium‐plutonium nitride ([U‐Pu]N), and uranium‐plutonium zirconium ([U‐Pu]Zr). A radial shuffling strategy, using natural uranium as the fuel input, is applied to the SFR to manage the nuclear fuel burn‐up process of the long‐life reactor. This strategy is called the modified CANDLE burn‐up scheme. The reactor core is divided into 10 regions with equal volume to represent the 10 years that the reactor operates without refueling. Initially, the first (innermost) region of the reactor core is filled with natural uranium fuel. The result of the burn‐up from the first region is then shuffled into the second region. The third region is the result of the burn‐up that is shuffled from the second region, and so on. This mechanism only requires natural uranium as the input for each 10‐year fuel cycle. In this study, the fuel movement scheme is examined for three fuels. Global neutronic parameters, such as the multiplication factors and burn‐up analyses, are observed and optimized. Overall, for an output power of 500 MWth and an active core radius of 110 cm and height of 210 cm, the study indicates that (U‐Pu)N is the optimal fuel to be applied in the SFR with a modified CANDLE burn‐up scheme. (U‐Pu)Zr reaches a critical condition at an output power of 500 MWth with an active core radius of 130 cm and a height of 210 cm; whereas criticality for MOX is achieved at an output power of 1500 MWth with an active core radius of 210 cm and a height of 210 cm.

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“…A refueling‐based fuel management strategy was proposed for the CANDLE reactor, where refueling is made through taking out the spent fuel (commonly known as “ash”) in 1 side of the reactor and adding fresh fertile fuel on the other side where the burning wave directs to. The proposed CANDLE is a 1540 MW t nitride lead‐bismuth eutectic (LBE) fuel core with a pancake shape of 4‐m diameter and 1.6‐m height; it was proven that these characteristics make the CANDLE reactor cost effective.…”

Section: Types Of Breed/burn Reactor Coresmentioning

confidence: 99%

The breed and burn nuclear reactor: A chronological, conceptual, and technological review

Lopez-Solis

François

2017

Int J Energy Res

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Summary Currently about 11% of the world's energy is produced in nuclear power plants; this implies the processing of uranium in order to enrich it to be suitable for “burning” in a nuclear reactor. Besides other environmental and monetary costs involved in the whole nuclear fuel cycle, the enrichment process has the disadvantage of producing depleted uranium as a sub‐product that has no wide use and is essentially stockpiled. One strategy to deal with this issue is to design a nuclear reactor that can run mostly on depleted uranium by breeding its own fissile fuel from it. Even though this concept could sound innovative or new, the truth is that it has been in the thought of the nuclear engineers since the 50s. In the present paper, the breed & burn (B&B) reactor concept is reviewed, as well as its origins, evolution up to present, and its main technical features. The objectives of this review are as follows: (1) to summarize the history of the development of B&B reactors, (2) to compare different B&B concepts based on a systematic approach under selected technical features, and (3) to bring out current trends and future directions on this technology. It is expected that this review will help the nuclear engineering community in general, and newcomer researchers in the field, to get an overview about the B&B reactors and how to direct a research in this direction.

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Performance optimization of the CANDLE reactor for nuclear energy sustainability

Cited by 12 publications

References 6 publications

Sustainability and Optimization: From Conceptual Fundamentals to Applications

Sustainability and Optimization: From Conceptual Fundamentals to Applications

Neutronic analysis of sodium‐cooled fast reactor design with different fuel types using modified CANDLE shuffling strategy in a radial direction

The breed and burn nuclear reactor: A chronological, conceptual, and technological review

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