COMPREHENSIVE RESEARCH OF THE PRACTICAL REALISATION OF THE THORIUM NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE
24th Symposium of AER on VVER Reactor Physics and Reactor Safety (2014, Sochi, Russia)
Nuclear fuel cycle perspectives and sustainability and intermediate storage of spent fuel, decommissioning and rad waste
Abstract
COMPREHENSIVE RESEARCH OF THE PRACTICAL REALISATION OF THE THORIUM NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE
Bolshakov V.V.
NRC “Kurchatov Institute”, Moscow, Russia
Bashkirtsev S.M., Morozov A.G. Lightbridge Corp. , Virginia, USA
ABSTRACT
A set of works is completed for the practical realization of the thorium nuclear fuel cycle. Two-zone Thorium FA was designed in form-factor of FA for VVER-1000 reactor. Design was optimized by a series of preliminary neutronics and thermo-hydraulic calculations. The peripheral zone of the FA is a blanket-zone. It contains cylindrical FE a little bit smaller in diameter than the traditional FE. Central seed-zone of the FA is formed by FE twisted along the longitudinal axis. These special FEs have triple-vane cross sections and are self-arranged in hexagonal lattice. Success in production of twisted FEs by the extrusion technique allows their using in FA design. Short samples of the FE both types of the Thorium FA underwent ampule tests at the research reactor. A series of tests were performed at the thermo-hydraulic test facility KS in the NRC “Kurchatov Institute”. Pressure drop and CHF investigations were completed for the bundles of the full scale FE simulator. Methods and techniques obtained from the set of works have additional advantages.