Browsing Nuclear Fuel Cycle Technology and Policy Program (NFC) - Technical Reports by Issue Date

Now showing items 1-20 of 45

    • FUEL PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS OF EXTENDED OPERATING CYCLES IN EXISTING LWRs 

      Handwerk, C. S.; Meyer, J. E.; Todreas, Neil E. (Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Center for Advanced Nuclear Energy Systems. Nuclear Fuel Cycle Program, 1998-01)
      An integral part of a technical analysis of a core design, fuel performance is especially important for extended operating cycles since the consequences of failed fuel are greater for this operating strategy than for ...

    • ON THE USE OF THORIUM IN LIGHT WATER REACTORS 

      Kazimi, Mujid S.; Czerwinski, Kenneth R.; Driscoll, Michael J.; Hejzla, P.; Meyer, J. E. (Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Center for Advanced Nuclear Energy Systems. Nuclear Fuel Cycle Program, 1999-04)
      The advantages and disadvantages of the use of thorium bearing fuel in light water reactors have been examined several times from the beginning of the nuclear energy era until the late seventies. The recent motivation ...

    • PROLIFERATION RESISTANT, LOW COST, THORIA-URANIA FUEL FOR LIGHT WATER REACTORS 

      Kazimi, Mujid S.; Driscoll, Michael J.; Ballinger, Ronald G.; Clarno, K. T.; Czerwinski, Kenneth R.; e.a. (Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Center for Advanced Nuclear Energy Systems. Nuclear Fuel Cycle Program, 1999-06-01)
      1. Summary Project Objectives: Our objective is to develop a fuel consisting of mixed thorium dioxide and uranium dioxide (ThO[subscript 2]-UO[subscript 2]) for existing light water reactors (LWRs) that (a) is less ...

    • A Systematic Study of Moderation Effects On Neutronic Performance of UO[subscript 2] Fueled Lattices 

      Xu, Z.; Driscoll, Michael J.; Kazimi, Mujid S. (Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Center for Advanced Nuclear Energy Systems. Nuclear Fuel Cycle Program, 2001-05)
      This report addresses the physics of reactor cores that can be operated for 10 to 15 years without refueling — inspired by the objective of enhanced nuclear fuel cycle performance with regard to economics and resistance ...

    • High Burnup Fuels for Advanced Nuclear Reactors 

      Oggianu, S. M.; Christensen, Holly Colleen No; Kazimi, Mujid S. (Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Center for Advanced Nuclear Energy Systems. Nuclear Fuel Cycle Program, 2001-05)
      The goal of this work is to select the best candidate fuel materials to deliver high burnup in advanced light water reactors. Uranium and thorium based fuels are considered. These fuel materials must be able to withstand ...

    • MODELING THE PERFORMANCE OF HIGH BURNUP THORIA AND URANIA PWR FUEL 

      Long, Y.; Kazimi, Mujid S.; Ballinger, Ronald G.; Meyer, J. E. (Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Center for Advanced Nuclear Energy Systems. Nuclear Fuel Cycle Program, 2002-07)
      Fuel performance models have been developed to assess the performance of ThO[subscript 2]-UO[subscript 2] fuels that can be operated to a high burnup up to 80-100MWd/kgHM in current and future Light Water Reactors (LWRs). ...

    • High Performance Fuel Design for Next Generation PWRs Appendices B-I to FY-02 Annual Report 

      Kazimi, Mujid S.; Hejzlar, Pavel; Ballinger, Ronald G.; Carpenter, David M.; Feng, Dandong; e.a. (Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Center for Advanced Nuclear Energy Systems. Nuclear Fuel Cycle Program, 2003-08)
      B.1.1 VIPRE modeling of PWR core with annular fuel: Optimization studies in the first year used an isolated channel and models for MDNBR analyses. These analyses provided sufficient knowledge of potential thermal hydraulic ...

    • High Performance Fuel Design for Next Generation PWRs 2nd Annual Report 

      Kazimi, Mujid S.; Hejzlar, Pavel; Ballinger, Ronald G.; Carpenter, David M.; Feng, Dandong; e.a. (Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Center for Advanced Nuclear Energy Systems. Nuclear Fuel Cycle Program, 2003-08)
      The overall objective of this NERI project is to examine the potential for a high performance advanced fuel design for Pressurized Water Reactors (PWRs), which would accommodate a substantial increase of core power density ...

    • Optimization of the LWR Nuclear Fuel Cycle for Minimum Waste Production 

      Shwageraus, Eugene; Hejzlar, Pavel; Kazimi, Mujid S. (Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Center for Advanced Nuclear Energy Systems. Nuclear Fuel Cycle Program, 2003-10)
      The once through nuclear fuel cycle adopted by the majority of countries with operating commercial power reactors imposes a number of concerns. The radioactive waste created in the once through nuclear fuel cycle has to ...

    • Combining Thorium with Burnable Poison for Reactivity Control of a Very Long Cycle BWR 

      Inoue, Y.; Pilat, Edward E.; Xu, Z.; Kazimi, Mujid S. (Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Center for Advanced Nuclear Energy Systems. Nuclear Fuel Cycle Program, 2004-06)
      The effect of utilizing thorium together with gadolinium, erbium, or boron burnable absorber in BWR fuel assemblies for very long cycle is investigated. Nuclear characteristics such as reactivity and power distributions ...

    • High Performance Fuel Design for Next Generation PWRs: 11th Quarterly Report 

      Kazimi, Mujid S.; Hejzlar, Pavel; Feng, Dandong; Kohse, Gordon E.; Morra, Paolo; e.a. (Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Center for Advanced Nuclear Energy Systems. Nuclear Fuel Cycle Program, 2004-07)
      I. Technical Narrative: The overall objective of this NERI project is to examine the potential for a high performance advanced fuel for Pressurized Water Reactors (PWRs), which would accommodate a substantial increase of ...

    • NEUTRONIC AND THERMAL HYDRAULIC DESIGNS OF ANNULAR FUEL FOR HIGH POWER DENSITY BWRS 

      Morra, P.; Xu, Z.; Hejzlar, Pavel; Saha, P.; Kazimi, Mujid S. (Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Center for Advanced Nuclear Energy Systems. Nuclear Fuel Cycle Program, 2004-12)
      As a promising new fuel for high power density light water reactors, the feasibility of using annular fuel for BWR services is explored from both thermal hydraulic and neutronic points of view. Keeping the bundle size ...

    • Feasibility of Partial ZrO[subscript 2] Coatings on Outer Surface of Annular UO[subscript 2] Pellets to Control Gap Conductance 

      Feinroth, H.; Yuan, Y. (Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Center for Advanced Nuclear Energy Systems. Nuclear Fuel Cycle Program, 2005-06)
      The viability of depositing a thin porous coating of zirconia on the outer surface of an annular UO[subscript 2] pellet is investigated experimentally. Such a layer has been proposed to buffer the contact between the fuel ...

    • Experimental Determination of Thermal Conductivity of a Lead- Bismuth, Eutectic-Filled Annulus 

      Carpenter, David M.; Kohse, Gordon E. (Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Center for Advanced Nuclear Energy Systems. Nuclear Fuel Cycle Program, 2005-06)
      In order to obtain an accurate prediction of the thermal behavior of an annular fuel assembly (see MIT-NFC-PR-048 for a description of the rods), the thermal conduction of the region from the outside of the fuel capsule ...

    • Alternative Fuel Cycle Strategies For Nuclear Power Generation In The 21st Century 

      Boscher, T.; Hejzlar, Pavel; Kazimi, Mujid S.; Todreas, Neil E.; Romano, A. (Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Center for Advanced Nuclear Energy Systems. Nuclear Fuel Cycle Program, 2005-06-01)
      The deployment of fuel recycling through either CONFU (COmbined Non-Fertile and UO[subscript 2] fuel) thermal water-cooled reactors (LWRs) or fast ABR (Actinide Burner Reactor) reactors is compared to the Once-Through ...

    • Innovative Fuel Designs for High Power Density Pressurized Water Reactor 

      Feng, D.; Kazimi, Mujid S.; Hejzlar, Pavel (Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Center for Advanced Nuclear Energy Systems. Nuclear Fuel Cycle Program, 2005-09)
      One of the ways to lower the cost of nuclear energy is to increase the power density of the reactor core. Features of fuel design that enhance the potential for high power density are derived based on characteristics of ...

    • High Performance Fuel Design for Next Generation PWRs: Final Report 

      Kazimi, Mujid S.; Hejzlar, Pavel; Carpenter, David M.; Feng, Dandong; Kohse, Gordon E.; e.a. (Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Center for Advanced Nuclear Energy Systems. Nuclear Fuel Cycle Program, 2006-01)
      This summary provides an overview of the results of the U.S. DOE funded NERI (Nuclear Research Energy Initiative) program on development of the internally and externally cooled annular fuel for high power density PWRs. ...

    • Wire Wrapped Hexagonal Pin Arrays for Hydride Fueled PWRs 

      Diller, Peter; Todreas, Neil E. (Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Center for Advanced Nuclear Energy Systems. Nuclear Fuel Cycle Program, 2006-01)
      This work contributes to the Hydride Fuels Project, a collaborative effort between UC Berkeley and MIT aimed at investigating the potential benefits of hydride fuel use in light water reactors (LWRs). Core design is ...

    • Actinide Minimization Using Pressurized Water Reactors 

      Visosky, M.; Kazimi, Mujid S.; Hejzlar, Pavel (Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Center for Advanced Nuclear Energy Systems. Nuclear Fuel Cycle Program, 2006-06)
      Transuranic actinides dominate the long-term radiotoxicity in spent LWR fuel. In an open fuel cycle, they impose a long-term burden on geologic repositories. Transmuting these materials in reactor systems is one way to ...

    • Fuel Cycle Options for Optimized Recycling of Nuclear Fuel 

      Aquien, A.; Kazimi, Mujid S.; Hejzlar, Pavel (Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Center for Advanced Nuclear Energy Systems. Nuclear Fuel Cycle Program, 2006-06)
      The reduction of transuranic inventories of spent nuclear fuel depends upon the deployment of advanced fuels that can be loaded with recycled transuranics (TRU), and the availability of facilities to separate and reprocess ...