A new paradigm for breeding of nuclear fuel. (November 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Wallenius, Janne; Bortot, Sara
• Is Part Of: Annals of nuclear energy. Volume 133(2019)
• Page Start: 816
• Page End: 819
• Publication Date: 2019-11
• Subjects: Breeding -- Conversion ratio -- Reactivity based criterion -- New paradigm -- Neptunium; Nuclear energy -- Periodicals; Nuclear engineering -- Periodicals; 621.4805
• DOI: 10.1016/j.anucene.2019.07.028
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0306-4549

Abstract

Abstract: Breeding of nuclear fuel from fertile nuclides may allow to extend known nuclear fuel resources from a century to thousands of years. In this article, we show that the requirement for a breeder reactor fuel to feature an effective neutron production per absorption larger than 2 ( η > 2 ) breaks down for fertile and fissionable nuclides meeting two criteria related to the relative magnitude of capture and fission cross sections. Moreover, we find that a breeding ratio larger than unity can be achieved for fuels consisting of a single nuclide, in spite of the this nuclide featuring η < 2 . In particular, neptunium is identified as a nuclear fuel that can sustain a reactivity increase over time up to a burn-up exceeding 240 GWd/ton in a fast neutron spectrum.