[ RadSafe ] RE: [MbrExchange] RE: [cdn-nucl-l] PBMRs vs Fast Reactors

[Muckerheide, James]

Sorry for the late note, but I didn't see a follow-up to this.  GA has said
its fuel is uranium oxycarbide (although I don't know what the Pu burnup fuel
form is), and other sources have been said to use UC.

 

Regards, Jim Muckerheide

===================

 

________________________________

From: mbrexchange-admin at list.ans.org [mailto:mbrexchange-admin at list.ans.org]
On Behalf Of Franta, Jaroslav
Sent: Friday, July 15, 2005 2:44 PM
To: mbrexchange at list.ans.org; cdn-nucl-l at mailman1.cis.mcmaster.ca; Radsafe
(E-mail)
Subject: [MbrExchange] RE: [cdn-nucl-l] PBMRs vs Fast Reactors

 

George Stanford  wrote on  Friday September 10, 2004 12:07 PM 
  
<snip> 
As I understand it, although the burnup in such a reactor can be considerably
better than in a thermal reactor 
(even with recycle), there is still an inventory of actinides to dispose of.
It is also my understanding that 
spent PBMR fuel is very difficult to recycle -- someone please correct me if
I'm wrong -- to recover the actinides 
for burning in a fast-neutron spectrum, which could extract the (very
considerable) unexploited energy and eliminate the long-term waste.

<end quote> 

 

I think there may be some confusion stemming from the fact that the PBMR uses
carbon "pebble" fuel, which people perhaps assume means that the uranium is
in carbide form -- which would indeed be very difficult to recycle.

But in fact the uranium "kernels" within the grahite balls are made of
uranium dioxide, like any other nuke plant fuel. 

So, the recycling must obviously only involve the extra step of separating
the UO2 from the graphite, once its puverised. That shouldn't be too hard,
considering the great difference in density.....

Jaro 
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ 

 


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