Fuel Cycle Modeling Improvements and Multi-Tiered Recycling With A Sodium-Cooled Heterogeneous Innovative Burner Reactor

<p>Fast reactors containing heterogeneous minor actinide target rods are now being modeled. When studying transmutation in these rods, helium production from α-decay must be considered since helium is produced in substantial quantities. This research utilized an innovative method to calculate gas production by modifying the CINDER90 depletion code used by MCNPX 2.6.0 to include helium production from α-decay. It was tested using the Sodium-Cooled Heterogeneous Innovative Burner Reactor (SCHIBR) model created at the University of South Carolina. Following gas production analysis, an innovative recycling strategy was developed to increase plutonium utilization in the SCHIBR model. The innovative recycling strategy offers improvements over the previous once-through SCHIBR model by further reducing the radiotoxicity of the discharged waste and making plutonium available for use in additional SCHIBR reactors.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

M.S.

Level thesis:degree_level

Campus Access Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Nuclear Engineering

Year

2011

Author dc:creator

• Read Jr., Carey McIlwaine

Contributors dc:contributor

• Travis W Knight

• Engineering
• Nuclear Engineering
• Fuel Cycle
• Helium Production
• Heterogeneous Burner Reactor
• Minor Actinide
• SCHIBR
• Transmutation

Statement dc:rights

• © 2011, Carey McIlwaine Read Jr.

Repository record dc:identifier

https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd/1670

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:scholarcommons.sc.edu:etd-2671