The neutronics design and analysis of a liquid metal reactor for burning minor actinides

Hangbok Choi, Purdue University

Abstract

A Liquid Metal Reactor was designed for the primary purpose of burning the minor actinide waste from commercial Light Water Reactors (LWR). The design was constrained to maintain acceptable safety performance as measured by the burnup reactivity swing, the doppler coefficient, and the sodium void worth. One of the principal innovations was the use of two core regions, with a fissile plutonium outer core and an inner core consisting only of minor actinides. The physics studies performed here indicate that a 1200 MWth core is able to transmute the annual minor actinide inventory of about 16 LWRs and still exhibit reasonable safety characteristics. In order to analyze the uncertainties in the minor actinide burner design, a sensitivity method was developed for the closed fuel cycle which includes both reprocessing and fabrication plants. The sensitivities of the burnup reactivity swing, the void worth, and the Doppler constant were also formulated for the closed fuel cycle. The uncertainty analysis of the final core design indicates deficiencies in the minor actinide nuclear data can introduce large uncertainties in the prediction of the core safety performance parameters.

Degree

Ph.D.

Advisors

Downar, Purdue University.

Subject Area

Nuclear physics

COinS