Transmutation-incineration potential of transuraniums discharged from PWR-UO2 spent fuel in modified PROMETHEUS fusion reactor

This study presents the potential of the burning and/or transmutation (B/T) of transuraniums (TRUs), discharged from the pressured water reactor PWR-UO₂ spent fuel, in the modified PROMETHEUS-H fusion reactor. Two different design shapes (Models A and B) were considered. The transmutation zone (TZ), which contains the mixture of TRU nuclides (10%), was located in the modified blankets. The volume fraction of Pu in the mixture is raised from 0 to 40% stepped by 10% to determine its effect on the B/T. The fuel spheres were cladded with SiC (5%) and cooled with high-pressured helium gas (85%) for nuclear heat transfer. The calculations were performed for an operation period (OP) of up to 10 years by 75% plant factor (η) under a neutron wall load (P) of 4.7 MW/m². The results bring out that: (1) the Model B transmutes the TRUs more rapidly than the Model A; (2) the effective half-lives decrease about 20 and 40% with the increase of Pu fraction in the cases of Models A and B, respectively; (3) the M values are quite high with respect to the M value of the original PROMETHEUS fusion reactor; (4) the blankets can produce substantial electricity in situ.