Information about AER WG F
23rd Symposium of AER on VVER Reactor Physics and Reactor Safety (2013, Štrbské Pleso, Slovakia)
Innovative technologies and methods
Abstract
Review of AER Working Group F Meeting in Moscow, Russia is given.
Regular meeting of 14th session of the Spent Fuel Transmutations Group was organized by
National Research Centre ?Kurchatov Institute? and held in Moscow, Russian Federation, July
15 ? 18, 2013. Presented papers (see List of papers) covered topics as follows.
It is known that conversion of nuclear energy to self-sufficient fuel supply in the second half of
the XXI century is planned to achieve by nuclear fuel cycle closing, intensive deployment of fast
reactors (FR) and improving of fuel usage efficiency in thermal reactors (TR). Only by closing
the nuclear fuel cycle and involving of fast reactors, nuclear power acquires properties that
enable it to assert itself as a power technology of the future: a) the energy potential of nuclear
power is much greater than all the reserves of fossil fuels, b) the amount of long-lived
radioactive waste is equal not to the time integral of the burnup, but only proportional to the
energy capacity of the system.
Apart from the introduction of fast reactors to the nuclear power structure, it takes at least one
more reactor type with the main function of transmutation of all long-lived actinides and some of
the most dangerous fission products produced by nuclear power system. It is a reactor, that
should provide ultimate closure of the nuclear fuel cycle.
The delay in the development of the required FR fraction, producing thermal reactors fuel in the
nuclear power system, will result in issues with their fuel supply by the mid-21st century. This
can be a significant factor in deterring the development of nuclear energy.
In this regard, in terms of the main areas for research and development on controlled
thermonuclear fusion (CTF) it is appropriate to include those that are focused on solving urgent
nuclear power problems of foreseeable future, challenges that are already quite clearly marked. It
is unlikely that this can delay the beginning of the thermonuclear age, quite the contrary, it can
stimulate the development of the CTF, if it is shown in practice its high efficiency (or even
uniqueness) to resolve these problems. Nuclear Energy of the XXI century based on fission
reactors with thermal neutrons and fission reactors on fast neutrons to be developed should have
practically unlimited fuel resources. In connection with these ideas the development of fusion
neutron sources with the main purpose of production of nuclear fuel for fission reactors is urgent.
Preliminary system evaluation shows that the STN (Source of Thermonuclear Neutrons) fraction
with the main purpose of thermal fission reactor fuel production can reach in terms of energy ~
(7-10 )% of the nuclear power capacity, when the rest ~ ( 93-90 )% of the capacity of nuclear
power system will be produced by thermal fission reactors, provided with fuel from STN
thorium blankets. In this case, the benefits of nuclear fission systems effectively complemented
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