A BWR fuel assembly design for efficient use of plutonium in thorium–plutonium fuel
Journal article, 2013

The objective of this study is to develop an optimized BWR fuel assembly design for thorium–plutonium fuel. In this work, the optimization goal is to maximize the amount of energy that can be extracted from a certain amount of plutonium, while maintaining acceptable values of the neutronic safety parameters such as reactivity coefficients, shutdown margins and power distribution. The factors having the most significant influence on the neutronic properties are the hydrogen-to-heavy-metal ratio, the distribution of the moderator within the fuel assembly, the initial plutonium fraction in the fuel and the radial distribution of the plutonium in the fuel assembly. The study begins with an investigation of how these factors affect the plutonium requirements and the safety parameters. The gathered knowledge is then used to develop and evaluate a fuel assembly design. The main characteristics of this fuel design are improved Pu efficiency, very high fractional Pu burning and neutronic safety parameters compliant with current demands on UOX fuel.

Plutonium incineration

High burnup

Plutonium

Thorium

Boiling water reactor

High moderation

Fuel assembly design

Author

Klara L Insulander Björk

Chalmers, Applied Physics, Nuclear Engineering

Progress in Nuclear Energy

0149-1970 (ISSN)

Vol. 65 56-63

Driving Forces

Sustainable development

Subject Categories

Other Engineering and Technologies

Other Physics Topics

Areas of Advance

Energy

DOI

10.1016/j.pnucene.2013.01.010

More information

Created

10/7/2017