TRANSMUTATION REACTORS

CLOSING THE NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE

Fusion Research Center

 

 

     Closing the nuclear fuel cycle requires 1) extracting the transuranics in spent nuclear fuel and using them as fuel in transmutation reactors, thereby reducing by orders of magnitude the long-lived transuranics that must be buried in waste repositories that must be secured for tens to hundreds of thousands of years, and 2) transmuting a large fraction of the > 99% of uranium that is U238 into plutonium and subsequently fissioning it to extract a large fraction of the energy content of uranium.  There appear to be some advantages to operating these transmutation reactors sub-critical with a neutron source.

     The concept of a fast transmutation reactor driven by a tokamak D-T fusion neutron source that could be built on the basis of ITER physics and technology and ITER operating experience has been under development in a series of faculty-student conceptual design studies and student theses at Georgia Tech for the past several years.

 

  1. W. M. Stacey, "Capabilities of a DT Tokamak Fusion Neutron Source for Driving a Spent Nuclear Fuel Transmutation Reactor”, Nucl. Fusion 41, 135 (2001).

  2. W. M. Stacey, J. Mandrekas, E. A. Hoffmann, et al., “A Fusion Transmutation of Waste Reactor”, Fusion Sci. Technol. 41, 116 (2002).

  3. J. Mandrekas, L. A. Cottrill, G. C. Hahn and W. M. Stacey, “An Advanced Tokamak Neutron Source for a Fusion Transmutation of Waste Reactor”, Georgia Tech report GTFR-167 (2003).

  4. E. A. Hoffmann and W. M. Stacey, “Comparative Fuel Cycle Analysis of Critical and Subcritical Fast Reactor Transmutation Systems”, Nuclear Technol. 144, 83 (2003).

  5. E. A. Hoffman and W. M. Stacey, “Nuclear Design and Analysis of the Fusion Transmutation of Waste Reactor”,Fusion Sci. Technol. 45, 51 (2004).

  6. A. N. Mauer, W. M. Stacey, J. Mandrekas and E. A. Hoffman, “A Superconducting Fusion Transmutation of Waste Reactor”, Fusion Sci. Technol. 45, 55 (2004).

  7. W. M. Stacey, et al., “A Sub-Critical, Gas-Cooled Fast Transmutation Reactor (GCFTR) with a Fusion Neutron Source”, Nucl. Technol. 150, 162 (2005).

  8. W.M. Stacey, J. Mandrekas and E.A. Hoffman, “Sub-Critical Transmutation Reactors with Tokamak Fusion Neutron Sources”, Fusion Sci. Technol. 47, 1210 (2005).

  9. W. M. Stacey, et al., “A Sub-Critical, He-Cooled, Fast Reactor for the Transmutation of Spent Nuclear Fuel”, Nucl. Technol. 156, 99 (2006).

  10. J. W. Maddox and W. M. Stacey, “Fuel Cycle Anaysis of a Sub-Critical , Fast, He-Cooled Transmutation Reactor with a Fusion Neutron Source”, Nucl. Technol. 158, 94 (2007).

  11. W. M. Stacey, et al., “Advances in the Sub-Critical, Gas-Cooled, Fast Transmutation Reactor Concept”, Nucl. Technol. 159, 72 (2007)

  12. W. M. Stacey, “Transmutation Missions for Tokamak Fusion Neutron Sources”, Fusion Engr. Des. 82, 11 (2007).

  13. W. M. Stacey, “Tokamak Fusion Neutron Source Requirements for Nuclear Applications”, Nucl. Fusion, 47, 217 (2007).

  14. W. M. Stacey, “Sub -Critical Transmutation Reactor with Tokamak Fusion Neutron Sources Based on ITER Physics and Technology”, TOFE-17 paper, Fusion Sci. & Technol. 52, 719 (2007).

  15. J-P. Floyd, et al., “Tokamak Neutron Source for a Fast Transmutation Reactor”, Fusion Sci. & Technol. 52, 727 (2007).

  16. W. M. Stacey, “SABR Subcritical Advanced Burner Reactor”, Georgia Tech., (2007).

  17. W. M. Stacey, et al., “A TRU-Zr Metal Fuel, Sodium Cooled, Fast Subcritical Advanced Burner Reactor”, Nucl. Technol. 162, 53 (2008).

  18. W. M. Stacey, “Georgia Tech Studies of Sub- Critical Advanced Burner Reactors with a D-T Fusion Tokamak Neutron Source for the Transmutation of Spent Nuclear Fuel”, J. Fusion Energy 28, 328 (2009).

  19. W. M. Stacey, “A Tokamak Neutron Source for Hybrids”, Georgia Institute of Technology, October 16, 2009.

  20. T. S. Sumner, W. M. Stacey, and S. M. Ghiaasiaan, “Dynamic Safety Analysis of the SABR Subcritical Transmutation Reactor Concept”, Nucl. Technol. Vol. 171, 123, August 2010.

  21. C. M. Sommer, W. M. Stacey, and B. Petrovic, “Fuel cycle Analysis of the SABR Subcritical Transmutation Reactor Concept”, Nucl. Technol. Vol. 172, 48, October 2010.

  22. W. M. Stacey, C. M. Sommer, T. S. Sumner, B. Petrovic, S. M. Ghiaasiaan, C. L. Stewart, “SABR Fusion-Fission Hybrid Fast Burner Reactor Based on ITER”, 11th OECD/NEA Information Exchange Meeting on Actinide and Fission Product partitioning and Transmutation, San Francisco, 1-5 November 2010.

  23. V. Romanelli, C. Sommer, M. Salvatores, W. Stacey, W. Maschek, B. Petrovic, et al., “Advanced Fuel Cycle Scenario Study on the European Context By Using Different Burner Reactor Concepts”, 11th OECD/NEA Information Exchange Meeting on Actinide and Fission Product partitioning and Transmutation, San Francisco, 1-5 November 2010.

  24. W. M. Stacey, C. M. Sommer, B. Petrovic & the Georgia Tech SABR Design Team., “Georgia Tech SABR Studies of a Fusion-Fission Hybrid Fast Burner Reactor”, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Karlsruhe, Germany, February 1, 2011.

  25. W. M. Stacey. "Tutorial: Principles and Rationale of the Fusion-Fission Hybrid Burner Reactor". FUNFI - 2011 Workshop: Fusion for Neutrons and Sub-Critical Fission Systems. Varenna, Italy. 13 September 2011.