Uranium resource utilization improvements in the once-through PWR fuel cycle
R A Matzie
- 01 Apr 1980
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors performed a comprehensive analytical study of potential uranium utilization improvement options that can be backfit into existing PWRs operating on the once-through uranium fuel cycle.
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Abstract: In support of the Nonproliferation Alternative Systems Assessment Program (NASAP), Combustion Engineering, Inc. performed a comprehensive analytical study of potential uranium utilization improvement options that can be backfit into existing PWRs operating on the once-through uranium fuel cycle. A large number of potential improvement options were examined as part of a preliminary survey of candidate options. The most attractive of these, from the standpoint of uranium utilization improvement, economic viability, and ease of implementation, were then selected for detailed analysis and were included in a single composite improvement case. This composite case represents an estimate of the total savings in U/sub 3/O/sub 8/ consumption that can be achieved in current-design PWRs by implementing improvements which can be developed and demonstrated in the near term. The improvement options which were evaluated in detail and included in the composite case were a new five-batch, extended-burnup fuel management scheme, low-leakage fuel management, modified lattice designs, axial blankets, reinsertion of initial core batches, and end-of-cycle stretchout.
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Citations
Light Water Reactor Fuel Cycle Optimization: Theory Versus Practice
Thomas J. Downar,Alexander Sesonske +1 more
- 31 Dec 1988
TL;DR: In the 30 years of electrical energy generation from nuclear power, there has been much research into the most efficient manner of utilizing the reactor fuel as discussed by the authors, which has addressed many of the important questions in such optimization from the single and multi-cycle perspective.
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Extended burnup fuel cycle optimization for pressurized water reactors
TL;DR: In this paper, a fuel cycle analysis methodology was developed to optimize the various options for in-core nuclear fuel management, which encompasses two major parts, a multicycle point reactor model, PUFLAC, and a reload pattern optimization code called DSPWR.
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The selective use of thorium and heterogeneity in uranium-efficient pressurized water reactors
Altamash Kamal,J Driscoll Michael,D Lanning David +2 more
- 01 Jan 1982
TL;DR: In this article, the use of thorium in PWRs operating on the once-through cycle has been investigated, and it was found that thorium does not save uranium compared to the conventional all-uranium PWR cores.
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Optimization and Analysis of Low-Leakage Core Management for Pressurized Water Reactors
TL;DR: In this article, a low-leakage extended burnup fuel management is proposed for a PWR that yields better neutron economy than the traditional out-in fuel management scheme with resiliency.
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Explicit burnable absorber modeling for pressurized water reactor core reload design applications
Thomas J. Downar,J. A. Stillman +1 more
TL;DR: In this article, a model was developed to generate homogenized, two-group cross-section data for PWR fuel assemblies loaded with burnable absorbers by explicitly incorporating the effects of the neutron poison into the unpoisoned group constants.
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