Possibility of Burning Americium in Fast Reactors

Gulevich, A. V.; Eliseev, V. A.; Klinov, D. A.; Korobeinikova, L. V.; Kryachko, M; Pershukov, V. A.; Troyanov, V. M.

doi:10.1007/s10512-020-00656-w

Cited by 7 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…It should be noted that the rate of americium transmutation in the SVBR-100 reactor can be increased in proportion to the increase in the amount of americium loaded into the core (in Ref. [3], to the BN-800 reactor, the content of americium was considered up to 16%, h.a.). However, the realization of this possibility is associated with the need to solve the problem of cooling spent fuel assemblies when they are unloaded from the reactor and loading fresh fuel assemblies with a high content of americium.…”

Section: The Results Obtained and Their Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It was shown in Ref. [3] that 82 kg of americium can be transmuted in the BN-800 reactor operating on MOX-fuel per year, including 71 kg in the core with its fuel content of about 2.5% and 11 kg in the side breeding zone. Thus, one BN-800 reactor incinerates americium produced by 2.8 VVER-1000 reactors, or in terms of the same power, the BN reactor with a capacity of 1 GWe incinerates americium generated per year from 3.5 VVER-1000 reactors.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Fuel pellets (UO 2 ) have an average enrichment in uranium-235 of about 16.5%. The density of oxide fuel was taken equal to 10.6 g/cm 3 , the full loading on heavy atoms (h.a.) is ~9.1 tons.…”

Section: Description Of Calculated Modelmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In [3], the transmutation of americium into an FR with a sodium coolant (BN-800) was considered, where the rates of its conversion to both fission products and 242 Cm upon radiative capture of 241 Am neutrons were determined. At a neutron energy lower than 0.8 MeV, its cross section for radiation capture significantly exceeds the cross section for fission (see Figure 1).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The influence of the hardness of the neutron spectrum on the ratio of the rates of neutron capture and fission processes can be seen from a comparison of the parameter α Am (ratio of radiation capture and fission cross sections averaged over the neutron spectrum) of BN-800 reactors (Ref. [3]) and the SVBR-100 reactor (this work), where they are equal to ~45 and 5, respectively, due to a sharp decrease the capture cross section of 241 Am at a neutron energy above 0.8…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Americium Transmutation in the SVBR-100 Reactor

Gulevich¹,

Eliseev²,

Komlev³

et al. 2020

WJNST

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One of the postponed problems of nuclear power (NP) is the problem of the management of long-lived radioactive waste (RAW), and, first of all, with minor actinides (MA), of which americium-241 is the most difficult. The aim of this work is to study the efficiency of americium transmutation in a fast reactor with a heavy liquid metal coolant lead-bismuth eutectic alloy. The article presents the results of calculations of the transmutation of americium in the SVBR-100 reactor using standard uranium oxide fuel with the addition of americium-241. The obtained values of the rate of transmutation of americium are compared with similar values for the SVBR-100 reactors on MOX-fuel and in the BN-800 reactor.

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Section: The Results Obtained and Their Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Description Of Calculated Modelmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Americium Transmutation in the SVBR-100 Reactor

Gulevich¹,

Eliseev²,

Komlev³

et al. 2020

WJNST

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Fast Reactor Aided Adjustment of Plutonium Isotope Composition

et al. 2021

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System Features of Fast Sodium Reactors in a Two-Component Structure of Nuclear Power Generating

Troyanov,

Gulevich,

Gurskaya

et al. 2024

YadEn

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The stepwise conversion of Russian nuclear power industry to a two-component nuclear energy system (NES) with thermal and fast reactors in a single closed NFC allows a number of deferred system problems of modern power industry to be solved, such as accumulation of spent fuel from thermal reactors and spent fuel repatriated from foreign Russian-designed NPPs; inefficient use of highly limited raw uranium inventories; recycling of minor actinides and other long-lived high-level waste accumulated in the course of thermal reactors' operation. The paper examines the fundamental capabilities of two-component NES, which appear due to the availability of commercial fast neutron sodium reactors. Due to the synergistic development of thermal and fast reactors, it is expected to achieve an economic effect associated with introduction of new fuel services in the nuclear energy system, such as production of plutonium and improvement of its isotopic composition for thermal reactors, transmutation of "external" minor actinides, production of isotopes for various purposes, production of hydrogen, etc. The expansion of Russia's export opportunities is also being considered, it can be done through fuel supply for both power units built in compliance with Russian technologies and foreign power units with MOX fuel. In this approach, it is important to analyze the economy of the whole system, where fast reactors, due to their inherent surplus of neutrons, perform the functions required to the entire NES, rather than to analyze the technical and economic indicators of individual reactors. The article makes a preliminary technical and economic assessment of such system functions provided by fast sodium reactors. It is shown that fast and thermal reactors operating together in a two-component nuclear energy system, with the same electrical power and similar technical and economic indicators, can significantly reduce the necessary infrastructure costs and/or generate additional income, thereby reducing the specific levelized cost of electricity production.

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Possibility of Burning Americium in Fast Reactors

Cited by 7 publications

References 2 publications

Americium Transmutation in the SVBR-100 Reactor

Americium Transmutation in the SVBR-100 Reactor

Fast Reactor Aided Adjustment of Plutonium Isotope Composition

System Features of Fast Sodium Reactors in a Two-Component Structure of Nuclear Power Generating

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