NUCLEAR DESIGN STUDY ON A SUPER HIGH-BURNUP FUEL ASSEMBLY FOR PRESSURIZED WATER REACTORS USING TRANSURANIUM

摘要

A conceptual design study nas carried out on a super high-burnup mixed-oxide (MOX) fuel assembly (SHB FA) for pressurized water reactors (PWRs) using transuranium (TRU). This-study aims to avoid the surplus plutonium (Pu) accumulation and to reduce the accumulation of long-lived-radioactive minor actinides (MAs) by utilizing the currently existing PWRs under the condition that the Japanese program to develop fast breeder reactors (FBRs) is tend to delay. For this purpose, an SHE FA with discharged burnup of similar to 80 GWd/t was investigated bu utilizing MAs positively as both burnable absorbers and fissile suppliers and loading high-content Pu. It is possible to load the SHE FAs in a current PWR together with UO2 FAs and to use 2.5 times as much amount of Pu as that in a standard 1/3 MOX core. Moreover, it is found to be possible to reduce the total number of fresh FAs further from that of a high-burnup (55 GWd/t in maximum) UO2 (4.9 wt%) core and also to reduce the accumulation of MAs in the nuclear fuel cycle significantly. [References: 7]