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Front-end nuclear fuel supply cooperation: Turning allied interdependence into strategic advantage
The global nuclear revival, which is fueled by unprecedented demand for firm, affordable, dispatchable power for artificial intelligence and data center build-out, energy security imperatives, and climate commitments, has exposed a structural reality of the Western fuel cycle: No single allied nation currently possesses the full suite of front-end capabilities. From mining through conversion, enrichment, fabrication, and the emerging deconversion and metallization steps required for reactor fuels, capability is distributed across Canada, France, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States (collectively, the “Sapporo Five”), as well as a small group of close partners.
J. Hirota, M. Nakano, S. Iijima, K. Shirakata
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 87 | Number 3 | July 1984 | Pages 252-261
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE84-A17781
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
An experimental study of the heterogeneous liquid-metal fast breeder reactor core has been made using FCA VII-3 assemblies of an axially heterogeneous configuration. The internal blankets inserted in these assemblies differed in composition, arrangement, and thickness. The analysis was carried out using the Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute Fast Set Version II and the diffusion code in R-Z geometry. The S4 calculation was made to evaluate the transport effects. Comparison between the calculated and experimental results reveals that the eigenvalue and the plutonium sample worth in the core are underestimated for the heterogeneous assembly, although they are well represented for the homogeneous assembly. The 238U capture rate is underestimated in the internal blanket relative to the core of the heterogeneous assembly. Further study is needed to solve the inconsistent prediction of the sodium-void worth observed between the heterogeneous and homogeneous assemblies.