• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.47 no.3
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• pp.315-322
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• 2015

The research carried out on thorium-based fuels indicates that these fuels can be considered as economic alternatives with improved physical properties and proliferation resistance issues. In the current study, neutronic assessment of $UO_2$ in comparison with two $(Th-^{233}U)O_2$, and $(Th-^{235}U)O_2$ thorium-based fuel loads in a heavy water research reactor has been proposed. The obtained computational data showed both thorium-based fuels caused less negative temperature reactivity coefficients for the modeled research reactor in comparison with $UO_2$ fuel loading. By contrast, $^{235}U$-containing thorium-based fuel and $^{235}U$-containing thorium-based fuel loadings in the thermal core did not drastically reduce the effective delayed neutron fractions and delayed neutron fractions compared to $UO_2$ fuel. A provided higher conversion factor and lower transuranic production in the research core fed by the thorium-based fuels make the fuel favorable in achieving higher cycle length and less dangerous and costly nuclear disposals.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.53 no.6
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• pp.1736-1746
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• 2021

The results of full-scale numerical experiments of a hybrid thorium-containing fuel cell facility operating in a close-to-critical state due to a controlled source of fusion neutrons are discussed in this work. The facility under study was a complex consisting of two blocks. The first block was based on the concept of a high-temperature gas-cooled thorium reactor core. The second block was an axially symmetrical extended plasma generator of additional neutrons that was placed in the near-axial zone of the facility blanket. The calculated models of the blanket and the plasma generator of D-T neutrons created within the work allowed for research of the neutronic parameters of the facility in stationary and pulse-periodic operation modes. This research will make it possible to construct a safe facility and investigate the properties of thorium fuel, which can be continuously used in the epithermal spectrum of the considered hybrid fusion-fission reactor.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.47 no.1
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• pp.85-93
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• 2015

Background: $^{241}Am$, $^{243}Am$, and $^{237}Np$ isotopes are among the most radiotoxic components of spent nuclear fuel. Recently, researchers have planned different incineration scenarios for the highly radiotoxic elements of nuclear waste in critical reactors. Computational methods are widely used to predict burnup rates of such nuclear wastes that are used under fuel matrixes in critical reactors. Methods: In this work, the Monte Carlo N-particle transport code was used to calculate the neutronic behavior of a transuranic (TRU)-bearing CANada Deuterium Uranium 6 reactor. Results: The computational data showed that the 1.0% TRU-containing thorium-based fuel matrix presents higher proliferation resistance and TRU depletion rate than the other investigated fuel Matrixes. The fuel matrix includes higher negative temperature reactivity coefficients as well. Conclusion: The investigated thorium-based fuel matrix can be successfully used to decrease the production of highly radiotoxic isotopes.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.55 no.7
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• pp.2678-2686
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• 2023

This work demonstrates the results of full-scale numerical experiments of a hybrid thorium-containing fuel plant operating in a state close to critical due to a controlled source of D-T neutrons. The proposed facility represented a level of generated power (~10-100 MW_t) in a small pilot. In this work, the simulation of the D-T neutron plasma source operation in conjunction with the facility blanket was performed. The fission of fuel nuclei and the formation of spatial-energy release were studied in this simulation, in pulsed and stationary modes of the facility operation. The optimization results of neutronic and fluid dynamics studies to level the emerging offsets of the radial energy formed in the volume of the facility multiplying part due to the pulsed operation of the D-T neutron plasma source were presented. The results will be useful in improving the power control-based subcriticality monitoring method in coupled systems of the "pulsed neutron source-subcritical fuel assembly" type.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.52 no.11
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• pp.2460-2470
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• 2020

To study the thermophysical and neutronic properties of thorium-plutonium fuel, a conceptual design of a hybrid facility consisting of a subcritical Th-Pu reactor core and a source of additional D-D neutrons that places on the axis of the core is proposed. The source of such neutrons is a column of high-temperature plasma held in a long magnetic trap for D-D fusionreactions. This article presents computer simulation results of generation of thermonuclear neutrons in the plasma, facility neutronic properties and the evolution of a fuel nuclide composition in the reactor core. Simulations were performed for an axis-symmetric radially profiled reactor core consisting of zones with various nuclear fuel composition. Such reactor core containing a continuously operating stationary D-D neutron source with a yield intensity of Y = 2 × 10¹⁶ neutrons per second can operate as a nuclear hybrid system at its effective coefficient of neutron multiplication 0.95-0.99. Options are proposed for optimizing plasma parameters to increase the neutron yield in order to compensate the effective multiplication factor decreasing and plant power in a long operating cycle (3000-day duration). The obtained simulation results demonstrate the possibility of organizing the stable operation of the proposed hybrid 'fusion-fission' facility.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.52 no.6
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• pp.1099-1109
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• 2020

The performance of gadolinium burnable absorber (GdBA) for reactivity control in UO₂ and (U, Th)O₂ fuels and its impact on spent fuel characteristics was performed. Five fuel assemblies: one without GdBA fuel rod and four each containing 16, 24, 34 and 44 GdBA fuel rods in both fuels were investigated. Reactivity swing in all the FAs with GdBA rods in UO₂ fuel was higher than their counterparts with similar GdBA fuel rods in (U, Th)O₂ fuel. The excess reactivity in all FAs with (U, Th)O₂ fuel was higher than UO₂ fuel. At the end of single discharge burn-up (~ 49.64 GWd/tHM), the excess reactivity of (U, Th) O₂ fuel remained positive (16,000 pcm) while UO₂ fuel shows a negative value (-6,000 pcm), which suggest a longer discharge burn-up in (U, Th)O₂ fuel. The concentration of plutonium isotopes and minor actinides were significantly higher in UO₂ fuel than in (U, Th)O₂ fuel except for ²³⁶Np. However, the concentration of non-actinides (gadolinium and iodine isotopes) except for ¹³⁵Xe were respectively smaller in (U, Th)O₂ fuel than in UO₂ fuel but may be two times higher in (U, Th)O₂ fuel due to its potential longer discharge burn-up.