Low-contamination, high breeding-yield thorium breeder

摘要

An advanced Th232/U233 thermal breeder with both high specific fuel power and breeding yield is presented. Said breeder is designed as a high specific power, unique hybrid reactor, comprising of a reactor core of solid coated particles of uranium kernel and a separated thorium fluoride liquid annular blanket. The contamination of the first loop is thus greatly reduced. Such a design is based on the existing experience of molten-salt cooling fixed-bed power reactors and HTGR, and, at the same time, eliminates the fatal high contamination resulted from the fission products in traditional liquid fuel thorium breeders. The strong contamination jeopardized the commercialization of the traditional liquid fuel thorium breeders. The high specific power of fuel increases the breeding yield of new fuel. Said low contaminated, high breeding-yield thorium breeder is, therefore, most likely selected as one of the candidates in the Second Nuclear Era.