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Title:
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Technology assessment HTR: pt. 5: thorium fueled High Temperature gascooled Reactors
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Author(s):
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Published by:
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Publication date:
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ECN
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1996
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ECN report number:
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Document type:
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ECN-C--96-045
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ECN publication
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Number of pages:
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Full text:
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29
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Download PDF
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Abstract:
Thorium as a fertile fuel component for the High Temperature Gas cooledReactor (HTR) instead of uranium has been reviewed. The use of thorium is
generally believed to be more in agreement with philosophies of
sustainability, low actinide waste production, and non-proliferation. The HTR
is considered because of the inherent safety features, which excludes fuel
melting due to decay heat during loss of coolant accidents. It has been
concluded that the use of thorium might be beneficial to reduce the actinide
waste production. Preferably, uranium has to be recycled and extra fissile
material has to be used in the form of highly-enriched uranium. This is in
contradiction with the current doctrines of non-proliferation, although the
safeguard ability of highly-enriched uranium is generally accepted to be
possible. A self-sustaining fuel cycle might be possible in the HTR, but this
could reduce the inherent safety features of the design and it could lead to
higher proliferation risks and fuel cycle costs. To obtain breeding in an
HTR, a larger core size is necessary, which will reduce the passive cooling
capabilities. The higher proliferation risks are due to the occurrence of the
fissile U-233 in the fuel cycle. This can be prevented by diluting this
fissile material with U-238, but this will change the thorium fuel cycle
slowly into a fuel cycle containing mainly U-238 instead of Th-232. 6 figs.,
8 tabs., 16 refs.
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