Three-stage fuel option for VVER-1200 reactor. (15th June 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Shelley, Afroza; Sharmin, Farhana; Dipa, Badrunnahar; Ovi, Mahmud Hasan; Salahuddin, M.
• Is Part Of: Annals of nuclear energy. Volume 171(2022)
• Publication Date: 2022-06-15
• Subjects: Three-stage -- Proliferation-resistance -- Plutonium -- Thorium -- VVER-1200 -- PPF -- Reactivity coefficient; Nuclear energy -- Periodicals; Nuclear engineering -- Periodicals; 621.4805
• DOI: 10.1016/j.anucene.2022.109025
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0306-4549

Abstract

Highlights: Three-stage fuel option is proposed to enhance the VVER-1200 reactor without modifying the conventional fuel assembly. Stage-2 fuel (PuO2 + ThO2 ) can provide 9.7 times of the discharged Pu from stage-1. Stage-3 fuel (Th + 233 U)O2 can provide 1.17 times of 232 Th and 2.7 times of 233 U from the discharged fuel of stage-2. Stage-1 and 3 show a close tendency for K-inf, power peaking factor, fuel temperature, void coefficient, and neutron spectrum than stage-2. Abstract: Possibility of three-stage fuel option is studied to enhance VVER-1200 reactor to use thorium resources for proliferation resistance without modifying the conventional fuel assembly. As stage-1, conventional UO2 is used as a fuel and Pu isotopes are retrieved from the spent fuel after burning 60 GWd/t and 10 years cooling. Retrieved Pu isotopes are used along with Th as fuel of stage-2. After 10 years cooling, 233 U and 232 Th are retrieved from the spent fuel of stage-2 and used as a fuel for stage-3. Stage-3 fuel can solely be prepared from the discharged fuel of stage-2. Stage-1 and 3 show a close tendency for K-inf, power peaking factor, fuel temperature, void coefficient, and neutron spectrum than stage-2. Spent fuel of stage-3 contains the least amount of plutonium, minor actinides (Am, Cm, Np), and long lived fission products, which will play an important role for proliferation resistance and spent fuel handling.