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

Now showing items 26-45 of 45

    • Impact of Alternative Nuclear Fuel Cycle Options on Infrastructure and Fuel Requirements, Actinide and Waste Inventories, and Economics 

      Guérin, Laurent; Kazimi, Mujid S. (Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Center for Advanced Nuclear Energy Systems. Nuclear Fuel Cycle Program, 2009-09)
      The nuclear fuel once-through cycle (OTC) scheme currently practiced in the U.S. leads to accumulation of uranium, transuranic (TRU) and fission product inventories in the spent nuclear fuel. Various separation and ...

    • 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 ...

    • MCODE, Version 2.2: An MCNP-ORIGEN DEpletion Program 

      Xu, Z.; Hejzlar, Pavel (Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Center for Advanced Nuclear Energy Systems. Nuclear Fuel Cycle Program, 2008-12)
      MCODE Version 2.2 is a linkage program, which combines the continuous-energy Monte Carlo code, MCNP-4C, and the one-group depletion code, ORIGEN2, to perform burnup calculations for nuclear fission reactor systems. MCNP ...

    • 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). ...

    • 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 ...

    • 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 ...

    • 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 ...

    • Plugging of Deep Boreholes for HLW Disposal 

      Jensen, K. G.; Driscoll, Michael J. (Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Center for Advanced Nuclear Energy Systems. Nuclear Fuel Cycle Program, 2010-07)
      This is a progress report covering work through July 2010 under a Sandia-MIT contract dealing with design and siting/licensing criteria for deep borehole disposal of spent nuclear fuel or its separated constituents. The ...

    • 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 ...

    • PWR Cores with Silicon Carbide Cladding 

      Kazimi, Mujid S.; Dobisesky, J.; Carpenter, David M.; Richards, J.; Pilat, Edward E.; e.a. (Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Center for Advanced Nuclear Energy Systems. Nuclear Fuel Cycle Program, 2011-04)
      The use in present generation PWRs of fuel clad with silicon carbide rather than Zircaloy has been evaluated as an aid to reaching higher discharge burnups and to operation at higher reactor power levels. A preliminary ...

    • A PWR Self- Contained Actinide Transmutation System 

      Shatilla, Y.; Hejzlar, Pavel; Kazimi, Mujid S. (Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Center for Advanced Nuclear Energy Systems. Nuclear Fuel Cycle Program, 2006-09)
      Elements of the new Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP) initiative in the US call for the expansion of domestic use of nuclear power and the minimization of nuclear waste. To achieve both goals in the short term the ...

    • PWR Transition to a Higher Power Core Using Annular Fuel 

      Beccherle, J.; Hejzlar, Pavel; Kazimi, Mujid S. (Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Center for Advanced Nuclear Energy Systems. Nuclear Fuel Cycle Program, 2007-09)
      The internally and externally cooled annular fuel is a new type of fuel for PWRs that enables an increase in core power density by 50% within the same or better safety margins as traditional solid fuel. Each annular fuel ...

    • Regional Examples of Geological Settings for Nuclear Waste Disposal in Deep Boreholes 

      Sapiie, B.; Driscoll, Michael J.; Jensen, K. G. (Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Center for Advanced Nuclear Energy Systems. Nuclear Fuel Cycle Program, 2010-01)
      This report develops and exercises broad-area site selection criteria for deep boreholes suitable for disposal of spent nuclear fuel and/or its separated constituents. Three candidates are examined: a regional site in the ...

    • Sensitivity of Economic Performance of the Nuclear Fuel Cycle to Simulation Modeling Assumptions 

      Bonnet, Nicephore; Kazimi, Mujid S. (Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Center for Advanced Nuclear Energy Systems. Nuclear Fuel Cycle Program, 2007-07)
      Comparing different nuclear fuel cycles and assessing their implications requires a fuel cycle simulation model as complete and realistic as possible. In this report, methodological implications of modeling choices are ...

    • A System Dynamics Study of the Nuclear Fuel Cycle with Recycling: Options and Outcomes for the US and Brazil 

      Busquim e Silva, R.; Kazimi, Mujid S.; Hejzlar, Pavel (Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Center for Advanced Nuclear Energy Systems. Nuclear Fuel Cycle Program, 2008-11)
      A system dynamics simulation technique is applied to generate a new version of the CAFCA code to study mass flows in the nuclear fuel cycle, and the impact of different options for advanced reactors and fuel recycling ...

    • 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 ...

    • Thermal Hydraulic Analysis of a Low Enrichment Uranium Core for the MIT Research Reactor 

      Ko, Yu-Chih; Hu, Lin-Wen; Kazimi, Mujid S. (Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Center for Advanced Nuclear Energy Systems. Nuclear Fuel Cycle Program, 2008-01)
      The MIT research reactor (MITR) is converting from the existing high enrichment uranium (HEU) core to a low enrichment uranium (LEU) core using a high-density monolithic UMo fuel. The design of an optimum LEU core for ...

    • Thermal Hydraulic and Economic Analysis of Grid-Supported Hydride and Oxide Fueled PWRs 

      Shuffler, C.; Trant, J.; Todreas, Neil E.; Romano, A. (Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Center for Advanced Nuclear Energy Systems. Nuclear Fuel Cycle Program, 2006-09)
      This report advances 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). This effort involves ...

    • UPDATE ON THE COST OF NUCLEAR POWER 

      Du, Yangbo; Parsons, John E. (Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Center for Advanced Nuclear Energy Systems. Nuclear Fuel Cycle Program, 2009-05)
      We update the cost of nuclear power as calculated in the MIT (2003) Future of Nuclear Power study. Our main focus is on the changing cost of construction of new plants. The MIT (2003) study provided useful data on the ...

    • 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 ...