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LLNL, Ampera partner to develop thorium-based TRISO fuel
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory has formed a strategic partnership with Ampera to develop the company’s nuclear fuel concept through a project named THUNDER, for Thorium Unimodal Droplet Ejection for Reactors.
The focus of THUNDER is fabricating TRISO made with kernels of thorium rather than the usual uranium. LLNL and Ampera will evaluate and optimize liquid metal–jetting technology to produce highly uniform, spherical kernels of thorium-232 for later processing into TRISO fuel.
Vishnu B. Subrahmanyam, Dwayne R. Speer
Nuclear Technology | Volume 86 | Number 2 | August 1989 | Pages 207-213
Technical Paper | Decontamination and Decommissioning / Radioactive Waste Management | doi.org/10.13182/NT89-A34272
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Transuranic waste isotope activity of 0.11 TBq (2.93 Ci) was found in 40 replaceable cartridges of a deep-bed fiberglass filter assembly. An investigation was initiated to provide information required for preparation of safety analyses and decommissioning plans. The filter assembly was suspected to contain 4 TBq (100 Ci) of plutonium, based on ambient neutron flux, confirmed by thermoluminescent dosimeters, and quantified by passive activation of indium foils. However, chemical analyses of smear samples are not consistent with this predicted activity. Americium-241, 244Cm, and isotopes of plutonium are identified by chemical separations and alpha energy analysis of dissolved smears. Isotopic composition based on measured relative alpha activities is used to establish the transuranic content. A major fraction of the observed ambient neutron flux is attributable to 244Cm, a nontransuranic radionuclide.