Abstract

The management of radioactive waste poses a significant challenge to the sustainable development of nuclear energy. Efficient transmutation of nuclear wastes is crucial to minimize their accumulation. A small modular chloride salt fast reactor (sm-MCFR) capable of transmuting transuranic elements (TRU) is proposed in this paper, combining the advantages of the small modular reactor (SMR) and the molten salt reactor (MSR). The sm-MCFR is characterized by a high fuel loading and a compact core structure that can be quickly deployed around large commercial reactors to achieve TRU transmutation. To evaluate the TRU burnup capability of the sm-MCFR, several fuel salts and reprocessing modes were analyzed using the internally developed TRITON MODEC Coupled Burnup Code (TMCBurnup) tool. NaCl-MgCl3 with 98 % enrichment in 37Cl is chosen as carrier salt for the sm-MCFR, which can achieve 76.7 % TRU transmutation rate in average and 355 kg·GW−1·a−1 TRU transmutation quality at a continuous reprocessing rate of 10 L/d for 50 operation years. The optimized sm-MCFR reduced the radioactive toxicity of TRU by 84 %, thereby simplifying waste reprocessing. In addition, the sm-MCFR has a negative temperature feedback coefficient of −7.195 pcm/K, favoring safe reactor operation.

Full Text
Paper version not known

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.