Radiogenic lead from poly-metallic thorium ores as a valuable material for advanced nuclear facilities
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G. G. Kulikov
Abstract
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 and accelerator-driven systems (ADS). The following results were obtained: 1. Radiogenic lead with high content of isotope 208Pb can be extracted from thorium or mixed thorium-uranium ores because 208Pb is a final product of 232Th natural decay chain. 2. The use of radiogenic lead with high 208Pb content in advanced fast reactors and ADS makes it possible to improve significantly their neutron-physical and thermal-hydraulic parameters. 3. The use of radiogenic lead with high 208Pb 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 high 208Pb content in advanced fast reactors as a neutron reflector opens a possibility for substantial elongation of prompt neutron lifetime. As a result, chain fission reaction in the reactor core could be slowed down, and the reactor operation could become safer. 5. The use of radiogenic lead with high 208Pb content in ADS as a coolant can upgrade substantially the level of neutron flux in the ADS blanket. Thus, favorable conditions could be formed in the ADS blanket for effective transmutation of radioactive wastes with low cross-sections of radiative neutron capture.
Kurzfassung
Hauptziel der Studie ist die Beurteilung der Zweckmäßigkeit von Herstellung und Verwendung von radiogenem Blei als Kühlmittel, Neutronenmoderator und Neutronenreflektor in zukünftigen Schnellen Reaktoren und Beschleuniger-getriebenen Systemen (ADS). Folgende Ergebnisse wurden erhalten: 1. Das radiogene Blei mit hohem 208Pb-Inhalt kann aus Thorium- oder gemischten Thorium-Uranium-Erzen herausgezogen werden, denn 208Pb ist ein Endprodukt der natürlichen Zerfallsreihe von 232Th. 2. Die Verwendung vom radiogenen Blei mit hohem 208Pb-Inhalt in zukünftigen Schnellen Reaktoren und ADS ermöglicht es, deutlich ihre neutronenphysikalischen und thermohydraulischen Parameter zu verbessern. 3. Die Verwendung vom radiogenem Blei mit hohem 208Pb-Inhalt in zukünftigen Schnellen Reaktoren als Kühlmittel öffnet die Möglichkeiten für intensiveres Erbrüten von Spaltstoff und Verwendung des gut bekannten Oxidbrennstoffs statt des vielversprechenden, aber noch nicht genug getesteten Nitridbrennstoffs bei gleichen Sicherheitsparametern. 4. Die Verwendung von radiogenem Blei mit hohem 208Pb-Inhalt in zukünftigen schnellen Reaktoren als Neutronenreflektor eröffnet eine Möglichkeit für eine wesentliche Verlängerung der Lebensdauer der prompten Neutronen. Als Ergebnis wird die Kernspaltungs-Kettenreaktion im Reaktorkern verlangsamt und der Reaktorbetrieb wird sicherer. 5. Die Verwendung vom radiogenen Blei mit hohem 208Pb-Inhalt in ADS als Kühlmittel kann den Neutronenfluss im ADS-Blanket wesentlich erhöhen. Somit können sich günstige Bedingungen im ADS-Blanket für eine effektive Umwandlung von radioaktiven Abfällen mit niedrigen Neutroneneinfangs-Wirkungsquerschnitten bilden.
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© 2017, Carl Hanser Verlag, München
Articles in the same Issue
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- Technical Notes/Technische Mitteilungen
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Articles in the same Issue
- Contents/Inhalt
- Contents
- Summaries/Kurzfassungen
- Summaries
- Technical Contributions/Fachbeiträge
- CANDU pressure tube leak detection by annulus gas dew point measurement: a critical review
- Multiple regression approach to predict turbine-generator output for Chinshan nuclear power plant
- 10.3139/124.110675
- Development of a parallel processing couple for calculations of control rod worth in terms of burn-up in a WWER-1000 reactor
- Simulation of protected and unprotected loss of flow transients in a WWER-1000 reactor based on the Drift-Flux Model
- Sensitivity analysis for CORSOR models simulating fission product release in LOFT-LP-FP-2 severe accident experiment
- Analysis of the optimal fuel composition for the Indonesian experimental power reactor
- Radiogenic lead from poly-metallic thorium ores as a valuable material for advanced nuclear facilities
- The effects of applying silicon carbide coating on core reactivity of pebble-bed HTR in water ingress accident
- Font Attributes based Text Steganographic algorithm (FATS) for communicating images: A nuclear power plant perspective
- Size control synthesis and characterization of ZnO nanoparticles and its application as ZnO-water based nanofluid in heat transfer enhancement in light water nuclear reactor
- Nuclear characteristics of epoxy resin as a space environment neutron shielding
- Exact solution of the neutron transport equation in spherical geometry
- Technical Notes/Technische Mitteilungen
- Determination of self-attenuation correction factor for lichen samples by using gamma-ray spectrometry
