Radiogenic lead as coolant, reflector and moderator in advanced fast reactors

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. When performing the study, thermal, physical and neutron-physical properties of natural and radiogenic lead were analyzed. 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 accelerator-driven systems (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 ADS as a coolant can upgrade substantially the level of neutron flux in the ADS blanket, which enables effective transmutation of radioactive wastes with low cross-sections of radiative neutron capture.