2018, Issue 1

Authors & Affiliations

Blandinsky V.Yu.¹, Grol A.V.¹, Dudnikov A.A.¹, Nevinitsa V.A.¹, Fomichenko P.A.¹, Smirnov A.Yu.², Sulaberidze G.A.²
1. National Research Center "Kurchatov Institute", Moscow, Russia
2. National Research Nuclear University "MEPHI", Moscow, Russia

Blandinsky V.Yu. – Senior Researcher, Cand. Sci. (Tech.), National Research Center "Kurchatov Institute".
Grol A.V. – Head of group, National Research Center "Kurchatov Institute".
Dudnikov A.A. – Head of Laboratory, National Research Center "Kurchatov Institute".
Nevinitsa V.A. – Head of Department, Cand. Sci. (Tech.), National Research Center "Kurchatov Institute". Contacts: 1, pl. Kurchatov, Moscow, Russia, 123182. Tel.: +7(499) 196-70-16; e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Fomichenko P.A. – Head of Division, National Research Center "Kurchatov Institute".
Smirnov A.Yu. – assisstant, Cand. Sci. (Phys.-Math.), National Research Nuclear University "MEPhI".
Sulaberidze G.A. – associated proffessor, Cand. Sci. (Phys.-Math.), National Research Nuclear University "MEPhI".

Abstract

The present work is devoted to application of the coordinated approach to modelling neutron-physical processes in a core of light water reactor and and selective molecular transfer of components in the separation cascade in a sequence repeated recycles of reprocessed uranium from VVER-1000 reactor spent fuel. Comparison of efficiency of two cascade schemes intended for re-enrichment of recycled uranium is performed: with two streams of a feed (natural uranium and uranium from reprocessed fuel, uranium from reprocessed fuel is entered in intermediate section of the cascade) and three (natural uranium, reprocessed from the spent fuel uranium and the depleted uranium). It is shown, that the scheme of the recycled uranium re-enrichment with three streams of a feed provides not less than 50% economy of natural uranium during four consecutive recyclers the uranium reprocessed from spent fuel at restriction on the content of ²³²U no more than 5,0·10^-7 U weight%. Calculations of isotopic composition of re-enriched reprocessed uranium were carried out taking into account Russian licensing requirements and requirements of international specifications for the content of even isotopes of uranium in low enriched reprocessed uranium hexafluoride. For the cascade scheme with two power sources, the comparison of two strategies for the use of reprocessed uranium was performed: the attempt of maximum loading of the reprocessed into one reactor was modeled and the strategy "one-to-one", when the uranium reprocessed from one fuel assembly of the same reactor was used for the manufacture of each fuel assembly of the reactor.

Keywords
recycled uranium, separation cascade, uranium hexafluoride, burnup, enrichment, depleted uranium, separation work, spent fuel, fuel assembly, reprocessed uranium, cascade scheme

Article Text (PDF, in Russian)

References

UDC 621.039.5

Problems of Atomic Science and Technology. Series: Nuclear and Reactor Constants, 2018, issue 1, 1:7