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Reactor Physics
The division's objectives are to promote the advancement of knowledge and understanding of the fundamental physical phenomena characterizing nuclear reactors and other nuclear systems. The division encourages research and disseminates information through meetings and publications. Areas of technical interest include nuclear data, particle interactions and transport, reactor and nuclear systems analysis, methods, design, validation and operating experience and standards. The Wigner Award heads the awards program.
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2024 ANS Annual Conference
June 16–19, 2024
Las Vegas, NV|Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino
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The Standards Committee is responsible for the development and maintenance of voluntary consensus standards that address the design, analysis, and operation of components, systems, and facilities related to the application of nuclear science and technology. Find out What’s New, check out the Standards Store, or Get Involved today!
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Latest News
Framatome signs contracts with Sizewell C
French nuclear developer Framatome is slated to deliver key equipment for Sizewell C Ltd.’s two large reactors planned for the United Kingdom’s Suffolk coast.
The agreement, reportedly worth multiple billions of euros, was announced this week and will involve Framatome from the design phase until commissioning. The company also agreed to a long-term fuel supply deal. Framatome is 80.5 percent owned by France’s EDF and 19.5 percent owned by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.
M. H. Du Toit, A. C. Cilliers
Nuclear Technology | Volume 187 | Number 3 | September 2014 | Pages 260-269
Technical Paper | Fuel Cycle and Management | doi.org/10.13182/NT13-134
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Many studies have proven that thorium-based fuel cycles are more expensive than current uranium fuel cycles, which is confirmed in this paper as well. This research, however, goes beyond the conventional nuclear plant refueling cycle, aiming to optimize the refueling cycle in line with specific advantages realized from the thorium-based refueling cycle. These benefits are the good thermal neutronic characteristics of fertile 232Th and fissile 233U, resulting in longer refueling cycles, higher capacity factors, and reduced volumes of spent fuel. This paper focuses on once-through, homogeneously mixed, thorium-uranium fuel cycles and explores the economic advantages to introducing thorium as a fertile component in pressurized water reactor fuels as compared to once-through conventional uranium-only cycles. The economic evaluation compares the operational savings incurred as a result of longer fuel cycles and reduced reactor downtime with increased fuel expenses, due to higher initial enrichment of uranium and downblending with thorium. Uranium fuel is compared with thorium-uranium fuel in terms of the fuel cycle costs, reactor downtime cost due to refueling, and income due to electricity sales. Thorium-uranium fuel costs more than uranium, but the income from electricity sales and reactor downtime refueling cost is advantageous. These factors have also been taken into account and prove that the advantage of increased income outweighs the higher fuel costs. Issues related to longer fuel cycles and higher burnups need to be addressed, but the development and adoption of once-through, homogeneous, thorium-uranium fuel can be justified by a clear economic benefit for utilities operating nuclear power plants.