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    22.05 - Reactor Physics - Part Six: Burners, Converters, and Breeders

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    This document discusses different types of nuclear fuel cycles: 1) Breeder reactors - Produce more fissile fuel than they consume by converting fertile material like thorium or uranium-238 into fissile isotopes like uranium-233 or plutonium-239. 2) Converter reactors - Convert fertile material into fissile fuel but do not produce more than they consume. 3) Burner reactors - Neither convert fertile material nor breed more fuel. They simply consume existing fissile fuel. The document analyzes the parameter η, which must be greater than 1 for even a burner reactor and greater than 2 for a breeder reactor. It finds that

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    22.05 - Reactor Physics - Part Six: Burners, Converters, and Breeders

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    msakowsk
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    This document discusses different types of nuclear fuel cycles: 1) Breeder reactors - Produce more fissile fuel than they consume by converting fertile material like thorium or uranium-238 into fissile isotopes like uranium-233 or plutonium-239. 2) Converter reactors - Convert fertile material into fissile fuel but do not produce more than they consume. 3) Burner reactors - Neither convert fertile material nor breed more fuel. They simply consume existing fissile fuel. The document analyzes the parameter η, which must be greater than 1 for even a burner reactor and greater than 2 for a breeder reactor. It finds that

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    Lecture 06

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    This document discusses different types of nuclear fuel cycles: 1) Breeder reactors - Produce more fissile fuel than they consume by converting fertile material like thorium or uranium-238 into fissile isotopes like uranium-233 or plutonium-239. 2) Converter reactors - Convert fertile material into fissile fuel but do not produce more than they consume. 3) Burner reactors - Neither convert fertile material nor breed more fuel. They simply consume existing fissile fuel. The document analyzes the parameter η, which must be greater than 1 for even a burner reactor and greater than 2 for a breeder reactor. It finds that

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    66 views5 pages

    22.05 - Reactor Physics - Part Six: Burners, Converters, and Breeders

    Uploaded by

    msakowsk
    This document discusses different types of nuclear fuel cycles: 1) Breeder reactors - Produce more fissile fuel than they consume by converting fertile material like thorium or uranium-238 into fissile isotopes like uranium-233 or plutonium-239. 2) Converter reactors - Convert fertile material into fissile fuel but do not produce more than they consume. 3) Burner reactors - Neither convert fertile material nor breed more fuel. They simply consume existing fissile fuel. The document analyzes the parameter η, which must be greater than 1 for even a burner reactor and greater than 2 for a breeder reactor. It finds that

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    22.

    05 – Reactor Physics – Part Six

    Burners, Converters, and Breeders

    1. Fissile vs. Fertile Fuels

    We earlier classified fuel types as either fissile or fertile. Fissile (Th-233, U-235,
    P-239) undergo fission upon being struck by a thermal (low energy) neutron.
    Fertile (Th-232, U-238) absorb a neutron to become a fissile material. The most
    well known such reaction is:

    1 238 239 0 239 0 239


    0 n + 92 U → 92 U → −1e+ 93 Np → −1 e+ 94 Pu

    Under what conditions can we design a reactor to produce fissile isotopes from
    fertile ones?

    2. Definition: We define three possible fuel cycles:

    — Breeder: More than one fissile atom is produced for each one that is
    consumed.

    — Converter: Converts fertile material to fissile but does not breed.

    — Burner: Neither converts nor breeds.

    3. Number of Neutrons from Fission: The symbol ν denotes the number of


    neutrons produced per fission. For thermal fission of U-235, its value is 2.5. This
    quantity by itself is insufficient to determine if conversion or breeding is possible
    because it only states the number of neutrons emitted once fission occurs. We
    need to know the number of neutrons emitted once a neutron is absorbed by a
    fissile nucleus. We denote that parameter as η and define it as

    σf σ f

    η =ν =ν
    σa σ γ + σ f

    Where σ f is the microscopic fission cross-section


    σ a is the microscopic absorption cross-section, and
    σ γ is the microscopic radiative capture cross-section.

    For even a burner to operate, η must be greater than 1 because some neutrons are
    lost to processes other than absorption in U-235. Some are absorbed in the core
    structure, some diffuse out into the shield, and others are absorbed by the steel,
    etc., that forms the reactor’s structure. For breeding, we need an additional
    neutron from each fissile absorption in order to convert fertile nuclei to fissile
    ones. Thus, η must exceed 2.

    4. η as a Function of Energy: η is a function of the energy of the incident neutron.


    The following three figures show it for U-233, U-235, and Pu-239. Over what
    energy ranges is breeding possible?

    a) Thermal Energies: For 0.025 eV, the value of η for the three fissile
    isotopes is:

    η Breeding Fertile
    Feasible Material
    U-233 2.29 Yes Th-232
    U-235 2.07 No None
    Pu-239 2.14 No U-238

    η =2.29 is sufficiently above 2.0 so that a U-233/Th-232 core would


    produce more U-233 then it consumes. The values of η for both U-235
    and Pu-239 are also above 2.0, but not so much above it that breeding is
    practical. So, at thermal energies, only the U-233/Th-232 cycle is possible
    for breeding.

    b) Epithermal Energies: Here we define epithermal as

    1 eV – 100 keV for U-235 and 10-20 keV for Pu-239. In both
    cases, the value of η is below 1.0. For U-233, the value of η
    might be able to sustain breeding, but this has not been established.

    c) Fast Energies: The value of η is sufficiently above 2.0 for all three
    fuels to function as a breeder.

    5. Caveat on U-235:

    There is no fertile nuclide that transmutes to U-235 upon neutron

    absorption. So, once supplies of U-235 have been consumed, it is gone.

    We can have a U-233/Th-232 cycle or a Pu-239/U-238 cycle. For U-235,

    the cycle would most likely involve Pu-239 and U-238 with the U-235

    present only initially.

    From Lamarsh.
    From Lamarsh.

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