Assessment of the quality and activity of the radionuclides in the fuel cycles of a three-component structure of nuclear power

A three-component structure of nuclear power with a closed nuclear fuel cycle is examined. In addition to the existing thermal and fast reactors the system contains a liquid-salt reactor for closing the fuel cycle with respect to actinides. The quantity and activity of the radionuclides are analyzed for promising variants of the structure of nuclear power and the uranium-plutonium, thorium-uranium, and uranium-plutoniumthorium closed fuel cycle. It is concluded on the basis of calculations and analysis, taking into account the life cycle from production of the fuel to the burial of the wastes, that the uranium-plutonium-thorium fuel cycle is more advantageous than the uranium-plutonium and thorium-uranium fuel cycles. __________ Translated from Atomnaya énergiya, Vol. 101, No. 3, pp. 214–221, September, 2006.