Rock-Like Oxide Fuels and Their Burning in LWRs.

Yamashita, Toshiyuki; Kuramoto, Koichi; Akie, Hiroshi; Nakano, Yoshikatsu; Nitani, Noriko; Nakamura, Takehiko; Kusagaya, Kazuyuki; Ohmichi, Toshihiko

doi:10.3327/jnst.39.865

Cited by 24 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 21 publications

(23 reference statements)

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“…First, for instance, candidates such as Tc-based and W-based oxide fuel, inert matrix fuel such as the rock-like oxide fuel containing mineral-like compounds, and MgO-based oxide fuel provide solutions against issues associated with uraniumfree operation, that is, decrease in Doppler reactivity feedback and increase in sodium void reactivity [1][2][3], but such types of inert matrix fuel may require new technologies for reprocessing. Additionally, many processing phases necessary for fabrication are costly.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Development of Uranium-Free TRU Metallic Fuel Fast Reactor Core

Ishii

Yamaoka

Moriki

et al. 2014

Nuclear Back-End and Transmutation Technology for Waste Disposal

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A TRU-burning fast reactor cycle associated with a uranium-free transuranium (TRU) metallic fuel core is one of the solutions for radioactive waste management issue. Use of TRU metallic fuel without uranium makes it possible to maximize the TRU transmutation rate in comparison with uranium and plutonium mixed-oxide fuel because it prevents the fuel itself from producing new plutonium and minor actinides, and furthermore because metallic fuel has much smaller capture-to-fission ratios of TRU than those of mixed-oxide fuel. Also, adoption of metallic fuel enables recycling system to be less challenging, even for uranium-free fuel, because a conventional scheme of fuel recycling by electrorefining and injection casting is applicable.There are some issues, however, associated with a uranium-free TRU metallic fuel core: decrease in negative Doppler reactivity coefficient from the absence of uranium-238, which has the ability to absorb neutrons at elevated temperatures, increase in burn-up swing, because fissile decreases monotonically in uranium-free core, and so on. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the feasibility of the uranium-free TRU metallic fuel core by investigating the effect of measures taken to enhance Doppler reactivity feedback and to reduce burn-up swing. The results show a TRU-burning fast reactor cycle using uranium-free TRU metallic fuel is viable from the aforementioned points of view because the introduction of diluent Zr alloy, spectrum moderator BeO, and lower core height enables Doppler reactivity coefficient and burn-up reactivity swing of uranium-free TRU metallic fuel to be as practicable as those of conventional fuel containing uranium.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Development of Uranium-Free TRU Metallic Fuel Fast Reactor Core

Ishii

Yamaoka

Moriki

et al. 2014

Nuclear Back-End and Transmutation Technology for Waste Disposal

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“…Extracted Pu is supposed to be fabricated as mixed oxide (MOX) fuel burnable in LWRs. Instead of MOX fuel, rocklike oxide (ROX) fuel has been developed for the purpose of achieving better stability of SF and higher transmutation of fissionable Pu than MOX fuel [2]. ROX fuel contains mainly Pu with less amount of 238 U to reduce Pu production and to transmute about 90% of fissile Pu [3,4].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Utilization of rock-like oxide fuel in the phase-out scenario

Nishihara

Akie

Shirasu

et al. 2013

Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology

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Utilization of rock-like oxide (ROX) fuel in light water reactors for plutonium (Pu) burning was studied by nuclear material balance (NMB) analysis for a case of Japanese phase-out scenario under investigation after the Fukushima accident. For the analysis, the NMB code was developed with features of accurate burn-up calculation, flexible combination of reactors and fuels, and an ability to estimate waste and repository. Three scenario groups of once-through Pu burning in mixed oxide (MOX) fuel and in ROX fuel were analyzed. Using two full-MOX or full-ROX reactors the Pu amount is reduced to about one-half and the isotopic vector of Pu deteriorated for being used as a nuclear weapon, especially in terms of spontaneous fission neutron generation. Effects of ROX reactors are more significant than MOX reactors in terms of both reduction in the Pu amount and deterioration of the isotopic vector. Repository footprint and potential radiotoxicity are not reduced by the MOX and ROX reactors because the heat and toxicity of MOX and ROX spent fuels are considerably high.

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“…Features of the ROX-LWR system are the deep burning of plutonium and the direct disposal of spent ROX fuels without reprocessing (1,2) .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The resistance of spinel to neutron irradiation is high (3) , but that to fission fragment damage might not be sufficient. For the improvement of swelling behavior, we have also proposed dispersion of coarse particles of actinides-containing phase in spinel or corundum matrix (2,4) .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Study of Rock-like Oxide Fuels under Irradiation

Nitani

Kuramoto

Nakano

et al. 2008

JPES

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To evaluate the irradiation behavior of the rock-like oxide fuel, irradiation experiments were carried out. Three fuels were prepared; a single phase fuel of yttria-stabilized zirconia containing UO 2 (U-YSZ) and two types of particledispersed fuels of U-YSZ particles in spinel or corundum matrix. U-YSZ particle sizes were about 100 -200 µm. These fuels were irradiated in Japan Research Reactor No.3 for about 280 days. The burnups were about 11% FIMA. The fission gas release rate (FGR) was determined by puncture test and gas analysis. Corundum-based fuel showed extremely high FGR (88%). The irradiation behavior of spinel-based fuels in conditions avoiding the spinel decomposition was superior to corundum-based fuels, in view of their retention of FP gases. The temperature of U-YSZ single-phase fuel pellets was highest among the fuels, because of its low thermal conductivity. Nevertheless the U-YSZ single-phase fuel showed very low FGR (5%). Microstructure analyses of irradiated fuel pellets were carried out by ceramography and electron probe micro-analysis (EPMA). The restructuring of fuel pellet was not observed in the spinel-based fuel irradiated below 1400 K. Significant appearance changes were not also observed for corundum-based fuel, in the range of about 800 K to 1900 K, where the irradiation tests were carried out.

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Rock-Like Oxide Fuels and Their Burning in LWRs.

Cited by 24 publications

References 21 publications

Development of Uranium-Free TRU Metallic Fuel Fast Reactor Core

Development of Uranium-Free TRU Metallic Fuel Fast Reactor Core

Utilization of rock-like oxide fuel in the phase-out scenario

Study of Rock-like Oxide Fuels under Irradiation

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