› › Perspectives On The Use Of Thorium In The Nuclear Fuel Cycle


ORNL Experience and Perspectives Related to Processing of Thorium and 233U for Nuclear Fuel

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Page : 19 pages

File Size : 29,5 MB

Release : 2016

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Thorium-based nuclear fuel cycles have received renewed attention in both research and public circles since about the year 2000. Much of the attention has been focused on nuclear fission energy production that utilizes thorium as a fertile element for producing fissionable 233U for recycle in thermal reactors, fast reactors, or externally driven systems. Here, lesser attention has been paid to other fuel cycle operations that are necessary for implementation of a sustainable thorium-based fuel cycle such as reprocessing and fabrication of recycle fuels containing 233U.



Thorium Energy for the World

Author : Jean-Pierre Revol

Publisher : Springer

Page : 442 pages

File Size : 24,86 MB

Release : 2016-04-05

Category : Science

ISBN : 3319265423

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The Thorium Energy Conference (ThEC13) gathered some of the world’s leading experts on thorium technologies to review the possibility of destroying nuclear waste in the short term, and replacing the uranium fuel cycle in nuclear systems with the thorium fuel cycle in the long term. The latter would provide abundant, reliable and safe energy with no CO2 production, no air pollution, and minimal waste production. The participants, representatives of 30 countries, included Carlo Rubbia, Nobel Prize Laureate in physics and inventor of the Energy Amplifier; Jack Steinberger, Nobel Prize Laureate in physics; Hans Blix, former Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); Rolf Heuer, Director General of CERN; Pascal Couchepin, former President of the Swiss Confederation; and Claude Haegi, President of the FEDRE, to name just a few. The ThEC13 proceedings are a source of reference on the use of thorium for energy generation. They offer detailed technical reviews of the status of thorium energy technologies, from basic R&D to industrial developments. They also describe how thorium can be used in critical reactors and in subcritical accelerator-driven systems (ADS), answering the important questions: – Why is thorium so attractive and what is the role of innovation, in particular in the nuclear energy domain? – What are the national and international R&D programs on thorium technologies and how are they progressing? ThEC13 was organized jointly by the international Thorium Energy Committee (iThEC), an association based in Geneva, and the International Thorium Energy Organisation (IThEO). It was held in the Globe of Science and Innovation at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), Geneva, Switzerland, in October 2013.



Thorium Fuel Cycle

Author : Fouad Sabry

Publisher : One Billion Knowledgeable

Page : 530 pages

File Size : 35,23 MB

Release : 2022-10-15

Category : Science

ISBN :

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What Is Thorium Fuel Cycle The fertile material in the thorium fuel cycle is an isotope of thorium called 232Th, and the thorium fuel cycle itself is a kind of nuclear fuel cycle. Within the reactor, 232Th is converted into the fissile artificial uranium isotope 233U, which is then used as the fuel for the nuclear reactor. Natural thorium, in contrast to natural uranium, only contains minute quantities of fissile material, which is insufficient to kick off a nuclear chain reaction. In order to kickstart the fuel cycle, either more fissile material or an other neutron source is required. 233U is created when 232Th, which is powered by thorium, absorbs neutrons in a reactor. This is analogous to the process that occurs in uranium breeder reactors, in which fertile 238U is subjected to neutron absorption in order to produce fissile 239Pu. The produced 233U either fissions in situ or is chemically removed from the old nuclear fuel and converted into new nuclear fuel, depending on the architecture of the reactor and the fuel cycle. Fissioning in situ is the more efficient method. How You Will Benefit (I) Insights, and validations about the following topics: Chapter 1: Thorium fuel cycle Chapter 2: Nuclear reactor Chapter 3: Radioactive waste Chapter 4: Fissile material Chapter 5: Nuclear fuel cycle Chapter 6: MOX fuel Chapter 7: Breeder reactor Chapter 8: Uranium-238 Chapter 9: Energy amplifier Chapter 10: Subcritical reactor Chapter 11: Integral fast reactor Chapter 12: Fertile material Chapter 13: Uranium-233 Chapter 14: Plutonium-239 Chapter 15: Isotopes of uranium Chapter 16: Isotopes of plutonium Chapter 17: Weapons-grade nuclear material Chapter 18: Uranium-236 Chapter 19: Burnup Chapter 20: Liquid fluoride thorium reactor Chapter 21: Nuclear transmutation (II) Answering the public top questions about thorium fuel cycle. (III) Real world examples for the usage of thorium fuel cycle in many fields. (IV) 17 appendices to explain, briefly, 266 emerging technologies in each industry to have 360-degree full understanding of thorium fuel cycle' technologies. Who This Book Is For Professionals, undergraduate and graduate students, enthusiasts, hobbyists, and those who want to go beyond basic knowledge or information for any kind of thorium fuel cycle.





Thorium Fuel Cycle

Author : International Atomic Energy Agency

Publisher :

Page : 120 pages

File Size : 17,8 MB

Release : 2005

Category : Business & Economics

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Provides a critical review of the thorium fuel cycle: potential benefits and challenges in the thorium fuel cycle, mainly based on the latest developments at the front end of the fuel cycle, applying thorium fuel cycle options, and at the back end of the thorium fuel cycle.



An Assessment of the Attractiveness of Material Associated with Thorium/uranium and Uranium Closed Fuel Cycles from a Safeguards Perspective

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File Size : 35,75 MB

Release : 2010

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This paper reports the continued evaluation of the attractiveness of materials mixtures containing special nuclear materials (SNM) associated with various proposed nuclear fuel cycles. Specifically, this paper examines two closed fuel cycles. The first fuel cycle examined is a thorium fuel cycle in which a pressurized heavy water reactor (PHWR) is fueled with mixtures of plutonium/thorium and 233U/thorium. The used fuel is then reprocessed using the THOREX process and the actinides are recycled. The second fuel cycle examined consists of conventional light water reactors (LWR) whose fuel is reprocessed for actinides that are then fed to and recycled until consumed in fast-spectrum reactors: fast reactors and accelerator driven systems (ADS). As reprocessing of LWR fuel has already been examined, this paper will focus on the reprocessing of the scheme's fast-spectrum reactors' fuel. This study will indicate what is required to render these materials as having low utility for use in nuclear weapons. Nevertheless, the results of this paper suggest that all reprocessing products evaluated so far need to be rigorously safeguarded and provided high levels of physical protection. These studies were performed at the request of the United States Department of Energy (DOE). The methodology and key findings will be presented.



Thorium Fuel Cycle

Author : Raymond G. Wymer

Publisher :

Page : 870 pages

File Size : 39,98 MB

Release : 1968

Category : Science

ISBN :

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Thorium—Energy for the Future

Author : A.K. Nayak

Publisher : Springer

Page : 546 pages

File Size : 23,4 MB

Release : 2019-01-30

Category : Technology & Engineering

ISBN : 9811326584

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Book Description

This book comprises selected proceedings of the ThEC15 conference. The book presents research findings on various facets of thorium energy, including exploration and mining, thermo-physical and chemical properties of fuels, reactor physics, challenges in fuel fabrication, thorium fuel cycles, thermal hydraulics and safety, material challenges, irradiation experiences, and issues and challenges for the design of advanced thorium fueled reactors. Thorium is more abundant than uranium and has the potential to provide energy to the world for centuries if used in a closed fuel cycle. As such, technologies for using thorium for power generation in nuclear reactors are being developed worldwide. Since there is a strong global thrust towards designing nuclear reactors with thorium-based fuel, this book will be of particular interest to nuclear scientists, reactor designers, regulators, academics and policymakers.