<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

The neutronic characteristics of (Th-233U)O2, (Th-233U)C, and (Th-233U)N have been compared in small long-life pressurized water reactors (PWRs). Neutronic calculations were carried out at 300 MWth, 400 MWth, and 500 MWth with two cladding types: zircaloy-4 and ZIRLO (Zr low oxygen). They were performed using the Standard Reactor Analysis Code (SRAC) and JENDL-4.0 nuclide data, dividing the reactor core into three fuel zones with varying 233U enrichment levels, ranging from 3% to 9% and fluctuating by 1%, employing the PIJ module at the fuel cell level and the CITATION module at the reactor core level. In addition, 231Pa was added as burnable poison (BP). The (Th-233U)N fuel demonstrated superior criticality compared to the other fuel types, as it consistently achieves critical conditions throughout the reactor’s operating cycle with excess reactivity &lt;1.00% dk/k for several fuel configurations at the 300 MWth and 400 MWth power levels. Moreover, the (Th-233U)N and (Th-233U)C fuels exhibited similar and flatter power density distribution patterns compared to the (Th-233U)O2 fuel. The power peaking factor (PPF) value was relatively higher for (Th-233U)O2 fuel than the other two fuels. The (Th-233U)N fuel exhibited the most negative Doppler coefficient, followed by (Th-233U)C and (Th-233U)O2 fuels. Analysis of burnup levels revealed that the (Th-233U)O2 fuel achieved significantly higher burnup than the other two fuels.
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The neutronic characteristics of (Th-233U)O2, (Th-233U)C, and (Th-233U)N have been compared in small long-life pressurized water reactors (PWRs). Neutronic calculations were carried out at 300 MWth, 400 MWth, and 500 MWth with two cladding types: zircaloy-4 and ZIRLO (Zr low oxygen). They were performed using the Standard Reactor Analysis Code (SRAC) and JENDL-4.0 nuclide data, dividing the reactor core into three fuel zones with varying 233U enrichment levels, ranging from 3% to 9% and fluctuating by 1%, employing the PIJ module at the fuel cell level and the CITATION module at the reactor core level. In addition, 231Pa was added as burnable poison (BP). The (Th-233U)N fuel demonstrated superior criticality compared to the other fuel types, as it consistently achieves critical conditions throughout the reactor’s operating cycle with excess reactivity <1.00% dk/k for several fuel configurations at the 300 MWth and 400 MWth power levels. Moreover, the (Th-233U)N and (Th-233U)C fuels exhibited similar and flatter power density distribution patterns compared to the (Th-233U)O2 fuel. The power peaking factor (PPF) value was relatively higher for (Th-233U)O2 fuel than the other two fuels. The (Th-233U)N fuel exhibited the most negative Doppler coefficient, followed by (Th-233U)C and (Th-233U)O2 fuels. Analysis of burnup levels revealed that the (Th-233U)O2 fuel achieved significantly higher burnup than the other two fuels.

Comparison of the neutronic properties of the (Th-233U)O2, (Th-233U)C, and (Th-233U)N fuels in small long-life PWR cores with 300, 400, and 500 MWth of power

Nukleonika

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Comparison of the neutronic properties of the (Th-U)O, (Th-U)C, and (Th-U)N fuels in small long-life PWR cores with 300, 400, and 500 MW of power

The neutronic characteristics of (Th-233U)O2, (Th-233U)C, and (Th-233U)N have been compared in small long-life pressurized water reactors (PWRs). Neutronic...

Comparison of the neutronic properties of the (Th-²³³U)O₂, (Th-²³³U)C, and (Th-²³³U)N fuels in small long-life PWR cores with 300, 400, and 500 MW_th of power

Article Category: ORIGINAL PAPER

Published Online: Feb 23, 2024

Page range: 3 - 12

Received: Apr 03, 2023

Accepted: Dec 14, 2023

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/nuka-2024-0001

Keywords
CITATION, Core design, Long-life PWR, SMR, SRAC, Thorium

© 2024 Boni Pahlanop Lapanporo et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Comparison of the neutronic properties of the (Th-233U)O2, (Th-233U)C, and (Th-233U)N fuels in small long-life PWR cores with 300, 400, and 500 MWth of power

Article Category: ORIGINAL PAPER

Published Online: Feb 23, 2024

Page range: 3 - 12

Received: Apr 03, 2023

Accepted: Dec 14, 2023

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/nuka-2024-0001

KeywordsCITATION, Core design, Long-life PWR, SMR, SRAC, Thorium

© 2024 Boni Pahlanop Lapanporo et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Comparison of the neutronic properties of the (Th-²³³U)O₂, (Th-²³³U)C, and (Th-²³³U)N fuels in small long-life PWR cores with 300, 400, and 500 MW_th of power

Keywords
CITATION, Core design, Long-life PWR, SMR, SRAC, Thorium