A methodology for evaluating the transmutation efficiency of long-lived minor actinides

• Published in: Nuclear engineering and design 2021-06, Vol.377, p.111128, Article 111128
• Main Authors: Ashraf, O., Tikhomirov, G.V.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Actinides; Criteria; Efficiency; Fast nuclear reactors; Fission products; Irradiation; Mathematical analysis; Minor actinides; Molten salt nuclear reactors; Nuclear reactors; Nuclides; On-line reprocessing; Radiation; Reactors; Reduction; RTG; Salts; SD-TMSR; SMSFR; Thorium; Transmutation
• ISSN: 0029-5493; 1872-759X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.nucengdes.2021.111128

•A new criterion for transmutation efficiency of MAs was introduced.•A new approach for loading MAs into SD-TMSR and SMSFR was introduced.•The transmutation efficiency of 241Am in both reactors was calculated by using SERPENT-2.•The on-line reprocessing technique was adopted during burnup. Up to now no definite internationally recognized quantitative criterion of minor actinides (MAs) transmutation efficiency was worked out, although this would be highly desirable. The absolute and relative total mass reduction of MAs are completely inadequate because they ignore the accumulation of higher radiotoxic long-lived MAs from the transmuted nuclide. In the current work, we introduce a new criterion for transmutation efficiency of MAs in nuclear reactors and demonstrate its efficiency by comparing two molten salt reactors; the Single-fluid Double-zone Thorium-based Molten Salt Reactor (SD-TMSR) and the Small Molten Salt Fast Reactor (SMSFR). Our proposed criterion takes into account the mass of all useful actinides, short-lived MAs, and short-lived fission products (FPs). In contrast, the mass parameters calculate the reduction in the MAs mass regardless of the produced nuclides. We introduce a new approach to load MAs into both reactors. The proposed approach merges the advantages of both homogeneous and heterogeneous approaches. The overall change in the actinides and FPs mass during the irradiation has been calculated using direct SERPENT-2 calculations. The results show that the transmutation efficiency of 241Am (the prime isotope for the transmutation) in the SD-TMSR is much higher than in the SMSFR. After 1500 days of radiation, the transmutation efficiency reaches 82.6% for SD-TMSR, however, for SMSFR it reaches 52.5%.