Potential of thorium based fuel cycles to constrain plutonium

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and reduce long lived waste toxicity

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4691

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International Atomic Energy Agency

2003

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CONTENTS

1. INTRODUCTION 1

2. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS. 2

2.1. Comparison of methods and basic nuclear data. 2

2.1.1. Cell burnup calculations 2

2.1.2. Lattice calculations for LWR. 9

2.2. Evaluation of the potential of LWRs, HTRs, HWRs and MSRs for plutonium incineration. 14

2.2.1. Incentives. 14

2.2.2. Results 15

2.2.3. Conclusions 16

2.3. Effect of plutonium incineration on the toxicity of disposed nuclear waste . 18

2.3.1. Incentives and database . 18

2.3.2. Toxicity benchmark. 18

2.3.3. Possible reduction of the radio-waste toxicity. 22

2.3.4. Results and conclusions. 23

2.4. Conclusions 26

References to Section 2 27

3. INDIVIDUAL CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE VARIOUS COUNTRIES 28

3.1. China 28

3.1.1. Study of thorium fuel cycles burning weapons grad and civil grade plutonium in the Module-

HTR 28

3.1.2. Physics studies of energy production and plutonium burning in pebble-bed type high

temperature gas cooled module reactor 32

References to Section 3.1 35

3.2. Germany. 36

3.2.1. Introduction 36

3.2.2. Optimization of plutonium incineration in the modular HTR . 36

3.2.3. Effect of plutonium incineration on the long lived waste toxicity 45

3.2.4. Summary and conclusions . 48

References to Section 3.2 49

3.3. India . 50

3.3.1. Introduction 50

3.3.2. Benchmarks . 50

3.3.3. Evaluation of the potential of HWRs for plutonium incineration . 51

3.3.4. Assessment of the effect of plutonium incineration on waste toxicity 52

3.3.5. Details of reactor calculations for plutonium burner (PHWR) 61

3.4. Israel and the USA. 66

3.4.1. Introduction 66

3.4.2. Toxicity calculations 73

References to Section 3.4 78

3.5. Japan 79

3.5.1. Introduction 79

3.5.2. Reactor model 79

3.5.3. Calculation of fuel depletion . 80

3.5.4. Calculation of toxicity . 81

3.5.5. Conclusion . 82

References to Section 3.5 91

3.6. Republic of Korea 92

3.6.1. Potential of a thorium based fuel cycle for 900 MW(e) PWR core to incinerate plutonium. 92

3.6.2. Assessment of the effect of plutonium incineration on the long lived waste toxicity 101

References to Section 3.6 105

3.7. Russian Federation. 106

3.7.1. Calculations on the principal neutronics characteristics of the WWER-1000 reactor loaded

with PuO2–ThO2 fuel based on weapons grade plutonium. 106

3.7.2. Calculations of the principal neutronics characteristics of the WWER-1000 reactor loaded with

PuO2–ThO2 fuel based on reactor grade plutonium . 116

3.7.3. Assessment of the effect of plutonium burning on the waste toxicity. 120

References to Section 3.7 122

3.8. Netherlands 123

3.8.1. Introduction 123

3.8.2. Calculation method 123

3.8.3. Results of the benchmark calculation 124

3.8.4. Numerical results of the benchmark 128

References to Section 3.8 131

PARTICIPANTS IN THE CO-ORDINATED RESEARCH PROJECT. 133