Simulation of an Accelerator Driven Subcritical Core with Mixed Uranium-Thorium Fuel

Ali Pazirandeh, Laia Shirmohammadi

Department of Nuclear Engineering, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.

DOI: 10.4236/wjet.2015.33C049                

Abstract

During recent years, a new generation of nuclear reactors, known as “Accelerator Driven Subcritical Reactors”, has been developed. One of the new application aspects for such reactors (besides transmutation of High Level Waste and burning Minor Actinides) is usage of thorium as nuclear fuel. In this work a subcritical core in experimental scale is simulated by MCNPX code. The core contains two types of fuel assemblies: (85% ThO₂ + 15% UO₂) and MOX (U-Pu). In the first step, only the thorium-contained fuel assemblies are loaded into the core. Criticality calculations using MCNPX show that the keff is so low that the fuel assemblies cannot run the subcritical core. This implies that MOX (U-Pu) assemblies must be loaded as well. Neutronic parameters of the thorium- fueled Accelerator Driven Subcritical core are then calculated as well as some other parameters related to accelerator coupled with the core. The main objective of this simulation is to study the behavior of Accelerator Driven Subcritical core with thorium assemblies.

Keywords

Accelerator Driven Subcritical Reactor, Thorium, MCNPX, Neutronic Calculation

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

References

[1]	IAEA Headquarters (2010) Review Benchmarking of Nuclear Data for the Th-U Fuel Cycle. IAEA Headquarters Vienna, Austria, INDC (NDS), 586.
[2]	Degweker, S.B., Satyamurthy, P., Nema, P.K. and Singh, P. (2007) Program for Development of Accelerator Driven System in India. Pramma Journal of Physics, 68, 257-268.
[3]	Hashemi-Nezhad, S.R. (2006) Accelerator Driven Subcritical Nuclear Reactor for Safe Energy Production and Nuclear Waste Incineration. Australian Physics, 43, 90-96.
[4]	Rubens, M.J. and Thiago, C. (2004) A Review of Thorium Utilization as an Option for Advanced Fuel Cycle Potential Option for Brazilian Future. ANES, American Nuclear Energy Symposium, Miami Beach, 3-6.
[5]	Briesmeister, J.F. (2000) MCNPX2.4.0: MCNP—A General Monte Carlo N-Particle Transports.
[6]	Juraj, B., Petr, D. and Vladimir, N. (2010) Study of Thorium Advanced Fuel Cycle Utilization in Light Water Reactor VVER-440. Annals of Nuclear Energy, 37, 685-690. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.anucene.2010.02.003
[7]	Sylvian, D., Elisabeth, H. and Herve, N. (2007) Revisiting the Thorium-Uranium Nuclear Fuel Cycle. Euro-Physics News, 38, 2.