Research of Features of U-Pu-Th Fuel Cycle and its Use for Burning Up of Minor Actinides in Supercritical Water-Cooled Reactor With Fast Neutron Spectrum

Since 2006 year FSUE “SSC RF – IPPE” and OKB “Gidropress” are being collaborated on a project of a direct cycle reactor cooled by water of supercritical parameters. The vessel type reactor concept with a fast resonance neutron spectrum and a two-pass coolant flow scheme has been chosen as the basic version. Here analysis of fuel cycles for this reactor which MOX (U-Pu)-based fuel consists of WWER spent nuclear fuel and weapon plutonium is presented. Besides, effect of using of thorium and fuel assemblies without a sheath tube is investigated. The following two test tasks are calculated: 1) burning up of isotopes including minor actinides (Am and Cm), 2) nonuniformity of power density distribution on fuel pins. Two approaches such as the WIMS ACADEM program complex developed by IPPE and the Monte-Carlo based program are applied for these tasks.