Coupling of an innovative small PWR and advanced sodium-cooled fast reactor for incineration of TRU from once-through PWRs

Abstract

In the nuclear industry, safely managing spent fuels discharged from PWRs (pressurized water reactors) is an ongoing challenge. In this paper, a synergistic coupling of innovative small long-cycle PWRs and advanced sodium-cooled fast reactors is considered to reduce the accumulated TRUs (transuranics) by transmuting them with electricity production. In the coupling strategy, the innovative small PWRs employing UO2–ThO2 and fully ceramic micro-encapsulated fuels are used to deeply burn TRUs from commercial PWRs, while advanced SFRs (sodium-cooled fast reactors) with actinide recycling are designed to further transmute the TRUs discharged from innovative small PWRs. This work focuses on the core physics analysis of new SFR burner cores using different TRU feeds discharged from small PWRs. Additionally, quasi-static reactivity balance analyses are performed to understand the safety of the SFR burner cores. The mass flows of TRUs in the nuclear park, which is composed of PWRs, small long-cycle PWRs, and SFR burners, are analyzed to evaluate TRU inventory reduction. The results of this study show that the advanced SFR burners with all the TRU feed types discharged from the small long-cycle PWRs have a high TRU consumption rate. They satisfy all of the conditions for self-controllability under unprotected accidents with a reasonable number of control rods. This coupling strategy requires ~35% less power in conjunction with the advanced SFR burners in the nuclear park and increases the support ratio of SFR burners by ~42% than does the coupling of commercial PWRs and SFR burners. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.