Radiogenic lead as coolant, reflector and moderator in advanced fast reactors

International Conference for Young Scientists, Specialists, and Postgraduates on Nuclear Reactor Physics 2016

Kulikov, E.G.^1

Department of Theoretical and Experimental Physics of Nuclear Reactors, National Research Nuclear University, MEPhI (Moscow Engineering Physics Institute), Kashirskoe highway, 31, Moscow, Russia^1

关键词: Accelerator driven systems (ADS);    Natural decay;    Neutron moderators;    Neutron reflectors;    Radiative neutron capture;    Radiogenic leads;    Safety parameters;    Thermal hydraulic parameters;   

Others  :  https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1742-6596/781/1/012002/pdf
DOI  :  10.1088/1742-6596/781/1/012002

来源: IOP

【 摘 要 】

Main purpose of the study is assessing reasonability for recovery, production and application of radiogenic lead as a coolant, neutron moderator and neutron reflector in advanced fast reactors. When performing the study, thermal, physical and neutron-physical properties of natural and radiogenic lead were analyzed. The following results were obtained: 1. Radiogenic lead with high content of isotope208Pb can be extracted from thorium or mixed thorium-uranium ores because208Pb is a final product of232Th natural decay chain. 2. The use of radiogenic lead with high208Pb content in advanced fast reactors and accelerator-driven systems (ADS) makes it possible to improve significantly their neutron-physical and thermal-hydraulic parameters. 3. The use of radiogenic lead with high208Pb content in advanced fast reactors as a coolant opens the possibilities for more intense fuel breeding and for application of well-known oxide fuel instead of the promising but not tested enough nitride fuel under the same safety parameters. 4. The use of radiogenic lead with high208Pb content in ADS as a coolant can upgrade substantially the level of neutron flux in the ADS blanket, which enables effective transmutation of radioactive wastes with low cross-sections of radiative neutron capture.