Download or read book An Assessment of the Attractiveness of Material Associated with Thorium uranium and Uranium Closed Fuel Cycles from a Safeguards Perspective written by and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.
Download or read book Evaluation of Material Attractiveness to Non state Actors of Various Nuclear Materials in Thorium Fuel Cycles written by Eva Lisowski and published by . This book was released on 2020 with total page 43 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Thorium-based fuel cycles for advanced nuclear reactors have been explored to utilize thorium resources in nations where uranium is scarce, increase fissile material utilization, and enhance proliferation resistance. As a stepping stone, thorium-based fuels have been paired with pressure tube heavy water reactors because of their high neutron economy and online refueling capability. However, thorium fuel cycles have raised proliferation concerns regarding the presence of U-233 following the irradiation of fuel bundles. The presence of Pa-233, which decays into pure U-233, and the creation of Pu-239 due to the neutron capture of U-238 in mixed lightly-enriched uranium (LEU)/Thorium fuels, are also causes for proliferation concern. Based on a method developed in a previous study, the material attractiveness to non-state actors of fissile materials present in a 40%LEU/60%Th fuel lattice concept was evaluated for six metrics: bare critical mass (BCM), heat content, net weight, acquisition time, dose rate, and processing time & complexity. The lattice, composed of 35 fuel pins and a central ZrO2 displacer rod, was modeled and depleted in the OpenMC reactor physics software, over a range of burnups up to 40 MWd/kg followed by two years of cooling. It was found that the material attractiveness of uranium isotopes in the irradiated fuel bundle was Very Low due to the high fraction of U-238 present in the fuel and the assumed lack of enrichment capabilities among non-state actors. However, for a state with basic enrichment capabilities, this fuel may be attractive. The attractiveness of plutonium isotopes was also found, as expected in a thorium-cycle, to be Very Low. However, the low BCM and heat content of this mixture reveals that it could be attractive to states that can easily acquire the material and do not need to rely on the theft of many fuel bundles to acquire an IAEA Category I quantity of material. Further investigation of the material attractiveness to states is required. Material attractiveness evaluations are important to informing future decisions regarding which fuel bundles to select when designing advanced reactor facilities and developing methods to safeguard them.
Download or read book Thorium Fuel Cycle written by International Atomic Energy Agency and published by . This book was released on 2005 with total page 120 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.
Download or read book Molten Salt Reactors and Thorium Energy written by Thomas James Dolan and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 2024-01-25 with total page 1068 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Molten Salt Reactors and Thorium Energy, Second Edition is a fully updated comprehensive reference on the latest advances in MSR research and technology. Building on the successful first edition, Tom Dolan and the team of experts have fully updated the content to reflect the impressive advances from the last 5 years, ensuring this book continues to be the go-to reference on the topic. This new edition covers progress made in MSR design, details innovative experiments, and includes molten salt data, corrosion studies and deployment plans. The successful case studies section of the first edition have been removed, expanded, and fully updated, and are now published in a companion title called Global Case Studies on Molten Salt Reactors. Readers will gain a deep understanding of the advantages and challenges of MSR development and thorium fuel use, as well as step-by-step guidance on the latest in MSR reactor design. Each chapter provides a clear introduction, covers technical issues and includes examples and conclusions, while promoting the sustainability benefits throughout. A fully updated comprehensive handbook on Molten Salt Reactors and Thorium Energy, written by a team of global experts Covers MSR applications, technical issues, reactor types and reactor designs Includes 3 brand new chapters which reflect the latest advances in research and technology since the first edition published Presents case studies on molten salt reactors which aid in the transition to net zero by providing abundant clean, safe energy to complement wind and solar powe
Download or read book Uranium Enrichment and Nuclear Weapon Proliferation written by Allan S. Krass and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2020-11-20 with total page 325 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Originally published in 1983, this book presents both the technical and political information necessary to evaluate the emerging threat to world security posed by recent advances in uranium enrichment technology. Uranium enrichment has played a relatively quiet but important role in the history of efforts by a number of nations to acquire nuclear weapons and by a number of others to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons. For many years the uranium enrichment industry was dominated by a single method, gaseous diffusion, which was technically complex, extremely capital-intensive, and highly inefficient in its use of energy. As long as this remained true, only the richest and most technically advanced nations could afford to pursue the enrichment route to weapon acquisition. But during the 1970s this situation changed dramatically. Several new and far more accessible enrichment techniques were developed, stimulated largely by the anticipation of a rapidly growing demand for enrichment services by the world-wide nuclear power industry. This proliferation of new techniques, coupled with the subsequent contraction of the commercial market for enriched uranium, has created a situation in which uranium enrichment technology might well become the most important contributor to further nuclear weapon proliferation. Some of the issues addressed in this book are: A technical analysis of the most important enrichment techniques in a form that is relevant to analysis of proliferation risks; A detailed projection of the world demand for uranium enrichment services; A summary and critique of present institutional non-proliferation arrangements in the world enrichment industry, and An identification of the states most likely to pursue the enrichment route to acquisition of nuclear weapons.
Download or read book A comparison of the environment health and safety characteristics of advanced thorium uranium and uranium plutonium fuel cycles written by Timothy Mason Ault and published by . This book was released on 2017 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The environment, health, and safety properties of thorium-uranium-based ( thorium ) fuel cycles are estimated and compared to those of analogous uranium-plutonium-based ( uranium ) fuel cycle options using a structured assessment methodology. Thorium resource recovery as a measure of environmental sustainability is described in terms of resource availability, chemical processing requirements, and radiological impacts. Results indicate that near-term thorium recovery will occur as a by-product of mining for other commodities, particularly titanium, and could satisfy even the most intensive nuclear demand for thorium six times over. Chemical flowsheet and radiological process analyses show greater, but not insurmountable, impacts for thorium recovery compared to uranium recovery. Four fuel cycle options are compared: a modified-open uranium option, a modified-open thorium option, a closed uranium option, and a closed thorium option. The options are compared on the bases of resource sustainability, waste management (both low- and high-level waste), and occupational radiological impacts. At steady-state, occupational doses somewhat favor the closed thorium option while low-level waste slightly favors the closed uranium option, although uncertainties are significant. The high-level waste properties favor the closed options (especially with thorium), but uranium options produce slightly less I-129 and may present less risk in a repository environment. Resource requirements are much lower for the closed options and are relatively similar between thorium and uranium. In addition to the steady-state results, several potential transition pathways are considered for closed uranium and thorium end-states. For dose, low-level waste, and fission products contributing to repository risk, the differences among transition impacts largely reflect the steady-state differences. However, the high-level waste properties show the opposite result in transition (strongly favoring uranium, whereas thorium is strongly favored at steady-state), since used present-day uranium fuel is disposed in transitions to purely thorium-based options. Resource consumption was the only metric was strongly influenced by specific transition pathways, favoring the most rapid transitions regardless of whether thorium or uranium was used.
Download or read book Proliferation proof Uranium Plutonium and Thorium Uranium Fuel Cycles Safeguards and Non Proliferation written by Kessler, Guenter and published by KIT Scientific Publishing. This book was released on 2017-02-20 with total page 580 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Thermal and neutron physics analysis show that above certain concentrations of the isotope Pu-238 hypothetical nuclear explosive devices, made of reactor-grade plutonium, are technically not feasible. Future proliferation-proof fuel cycles are proposed which make use of methods of actinide tansmutation.Reactors operating in the thorium/uranium fuel cyce are loaded with
Download or read book Preliminary Concepts written by Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory and published by . This book was released on 1978 with total page 71 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Safeguards Techniques and Equipment written by International Atomic Energy Agency and published by . This book was released on 2011 with total page 146 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The 1990s saw significant developments in the global non-proliferation landscape, resulting in a new period of safeguards development. The current publication, which is the second revision and update of IAEA/NVS/1, is intended to give a full and balanced description of the safeguards techniques and equipment used for nuclear material accountancy, containment and surveillance measures, environmental sampling, and data security. New features include a section on new and novel technologies. As new verification measures continue to be developed, the material in this book will be reviewed periodically and updated versions issued.
Download or read book Performance Analysis Review of Thorium TRISO Coated Particles During Manufacture Irradiation and Accident Condition Heating Tests written by International Atomic Energy Agency and published by IAEA Tecdoc. This book was released on 2015 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This publication is the outcome of an IAEA coordinated research project on near term and promising long term options for deployment of thorium based nuclear energy. It is based on the compilation and analysis of available results on thorium tristructural isotropic (TRISO) coated particle fuel performance in manufacturing during irradiation and accident condition heating tests. As a result, the project participants concluded that the performance statistics for the high enriched thoria urania TRISO fuel system are in perfect concert with those state of the art requirements for present day high temperature reactor concepts.
Download or read book Nuclear Proliferation and Safeguards written by United States. Congress. Office of Technology Assessment and published by . This book was released on 1977 with total page 290 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Future of Nuclear Fuel Cycle written by and published by . This book was released on 2011 with total page 237 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "In this analysis we have presented a method that provides insight into future fuel cycle alternatives by clarifying the complexity of choosing an appropriate fuel cycle in the context of the distribution of burdens and benefits between generations. The current nuclear power deployment practices, together with three future fuel cycles were assessed."--Page 227.
Download or read book Nuclear Energy Basic Principles written by International Atomic Energy Agency and published by . This book was released on 2008 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Describes the rationale and vision for the peaceful use of nuclear energy. The publication identifies the basic principles that nuclear energy systems must satisfy to fulfil their promise of meeting growing global energy demands.
Download or read book BUlletin of the Atomic Scientists written by and published by . This book was released on 1979-02 with total page 64 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Critical Analysis of World Uranium Resources written by Susan Hall and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2014-06-30 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration (EIA) joined with the U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to analyze the world uranium supply and demand balance. To evaluate short- term primary supply (0-15 years), the analysis focused on Reasonably Assured Resources (RAR), which are resources pro- jected with a high degree of geologic assurance and considered to be economically feasible to mine. Such resources include uranium resources from mines currently in production as well as resources that are in the stages of feasibility or of being permit- ted. Sources of secondary supply for uranium, such as stockpiles and reprocessed fuel, were also examined. To evaluate long- term primary supply, estimates of uranium from unconventional and from undiscovered resources were analyzed.
Download or read book Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists written by and published by . This book was released on 1978-01 with total page 56 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists is the premier public resource on scientific and technological developments that impact global security. Founded by Manhattan Project Scientists, the Bulletin's iconic "Doomsday Clock" stimulates solutions for a safer world.
Download or read book BUlletin of the Atomic Scientists written by and published by . This book was released on 1979-02 with total page 64 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
