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Regional Basic Professional Training Course in Korea

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<strong>Regional</strong> <strong>Basic</strong> <strong>Professional</strong> <strong>Tra<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g</strong> <strong>Course</strong> (BPTC) on Nuclear Safety<br />

TABLE 1.6. : Mass and activity balances of transuranium nuclei present <strong>in</strong> a PWR fuel (<strong>in</strong>itial<br />

mass is 1 ton, burn-up 33000MWd/Mut)<br />

Activity (Bq)<br />

Mass (g) Reactor Shutdown After 3 years<br />

Uranium 956000 7.25E+17 1.33E+11<br />

Neptunium 553 7.07E+17 7.03E+11<br />

Plutonium 8940 1.78E+16 3.54E+15<br />

Americium 124 7.14E+15 2.21E+13<br />

Curium 44 1.35E+15 9.66E+13<br />

Berkelium 2.3E-6 4.07E+8 1.11E+7<br />

Californium 0.97E-3 3.85E+6 2.63E+6<br />

Total 965000 1.46E+18 3.66E+15<br />

As shown <strong>in</strong> Table 1.6 Pu is the major contributor to the activity <strong>in</strong> burned fuel. But as<br />

discussed earlier, Pu has also two fissile isotopes and could thus be used as a fuel. The<br />

best way for Pu utilization, from the neutronic po<strong>in</strong>t of view would be a fast reactor s<strong>in</strong>ce<br />

the number of neutrons emitted by absorption is about 2.25, thus allow<strong>in</strong>g breed<strong>in</strong>g.<br />

However, the production of Pu <strong>in</strong> thermal reactors is higher than its consummation <strong>in</strong> fast<br />

reactors (the development of these reactors faced some technological and political<br />

problems). It was then suggested to use plutonium based fuel <strong>in</strong> standard light water<br />

reactors (usually known as plutonium recycl<strong>in</strong>g). This operation supposes the separation<br />

of the different components of irradiated fuel (fission products, uranium and plutonium),<br />

which is called fuel reprocess<strong>in</strong>g.<br />

1.3.2.3. Formation of fission products and consequent poison<strong>in</strong>g effects<br />

In subsection 1.2.3.3 we showed the fission fragments yields for some fission<strong>in</strong>g systems.<br />

❙ 44 ❙

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