Publication: Review of the microheterogeneous thoria-urania fuel for micro-sized high temperature reactors
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Date
2021
Authors
Rabir M.H.
Ismail A.F.
Yahya M.S.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
John Wiley and Sons Ltd
Abstract
This paper presents a systematic review of the micro-modular thorium-fueled high temperature reactors (HTR) loaded with duplex fuel pellet design. Specifically, each unique criterion of the design is discussed separately in an attempt to understand the combined advantages of the proposed reactor. Micro modular HTRs have great potential as a source of electricity or industrial heat in the future. The use of thorium not only improves its economic performance and safety, but also prolongs its operation. Nevertheless, the traditional seed-and-blanket configuration would not be able to maximize the thorium fuel burnup. As such, a new tristructural-isotopic (TRISO) fuel based on duplex pellet designs were proposed instead. It should be noted that these duplex pellets were not practical for pressurized water reactor (PWR) technology due to its uneven power distribution which possibly leads to a very high local pellet temperature. However, this unorthodox inherent characteristics of the duplex pellets may actually suit the HTR burnup profile better due to its substantially higher thermal margin - thus possibly enabling a relatively long operation of the HTR. The paper shall thereby provide a reasonably sound justification for the detailed technical investigations of the proposed reactor design. � 2020 John Wiley & Sons Ltd
Description
Nuclear fuels; Pelletizing; Pressurized water reactors; Thoria; Thorium; Uranium dioxide; Blanket configurations; Economic performance; Inherent characteristics; Micro-heterogeneous; Power distributions; Reactor designs; Systematic Review; Thermal margins; High temperature reactors