Can All Research Reactors be Fueled only with LEU in the Future ?

Can All Research Reactors be Fueled only with LEU in the Future? Nikolay Arkhangelsky Rosatom (Russia)

Topics • Neutron-Physical and Economical Benefits of the Use of HEU in Research Reactors • Influence of the Utilization of Research Reactors to the Use of HEU • The Difference between Approaches to the Operating Reactors and Reactors under Construction • Conclusion

Aspects of the use of HEU in Research Reactors • There are many aspects of the use of HEU in research reactors - Neutron-Physical - Economical - Security - Proliferation - Political In these presentation only physical and partly economical aspects are discussed

The Definition of Research Reactor From the Code of Conduct on theSafety of Research Reactors, IAEA, 2004 “research reactor” means a nuclear reactor used mainly for the generation and utilization of neutron flux and ionising radiation for research and other purposes…. Facilities commonly known as critical assemblies are included.

Why in the past the enrichment of the uranium was increased? • According to the definition the main purpose of the operation of research reactor is to provide the scientists and engineers with neutron fluxes of different spectrum and intensity • It means that the quality of the experiment depends mainly on the level of neutron flux and also on the neutron spectrum • HEU has the neutron-physical and economical benefits in comparison with LEU and it explains constant increasing of the uranium enrichment in research reactors from the beginning till the middle of seventies years of the XX century What kind of these benefits?

Neutron-Physical Aspects • The total amount of neutrons that can be used in the experimental facilities is proportional to P*(K - 1)/ K where P – reactor power, K - infinite multiplication factor • For to increase Kthe concentration of U-235 shall be increased and the poisoning effect of absorbers in particularly U-238 shall be decreased • More easy way to increase the concentration of U-235 is to increase the enrichment of uranium • More difficult way is the development of fuel with the bigger concentration of uranium in the fuel meat

Example of the dependence of the infinite multiplication factor from the uranium-235 concentration in the active core(Calculations were made for the Russian type fuel assemblies WWR-M)

Neutron-Physical Aspects Thus at low concentration of U-235 in the active core it is possible to keep K at a former level at reducing enrichment from HEU to LEU It explains the relative simplicity of the conversion of low power reactors having as a rule low concentration of U-235 in an active core On the contrary at high concentration of U-235 in the active core it is impossible to keep K at reducing enrichment It means that in this case the conversion of reactor without penalties is impossible!

Neutron-Physical Aspects Other neuron-physical aspect of the use of HEU deals with the value of neutron flux • In many cases for experimenters it is very important to have neutron flux in experimental facilities as high as possible • Neutron flux is proportional to the specific power that is the power per volume unit; the demand for higher specific power created a need for lower core volume; it means that at the constant power of the reactor the neutron flux is inversely proportional to the core volume; • the core volume correspondingly decreases with increasing of the concentration of U-235 and consequently the neutron flux will higher at the higher uranium enrichment!

Neutron-Physical Aspects In any case at the same concentration of U-235 in the active core the neutron-physical parameters of the reactor: • The total amount of neutrons that can be used usefully in the experimental facilities • Neutron flux will be higher in the case of higher enrichment! But it is absolutely clear that to get the same concentration of U-235 is more easy in the case of HEU because at the same technological limitations the concentration of U-235 is proportional to the enrichment

Economic Aspects But… • The price of HEU is higher than LEU • On the other side for the economy of research reactor it is important not the price of total uranium but only the price of U-235 • The price of the unit mass of U-235 is practically independent from the enrichment level (in the range from 20% to 90%)

Relative Price Values of Uranium-235(These values are practically independent from the price of UF6, the price of SWU, conversion prices and tails assay)

Acceptability of the Reactor Conversion For to establish acceptability of the use of LEU instead of of HEU several criteria shall be define so that after the reactor conversion the operators and experimenters could continue to operate and use the reactor practically with the same efficiency Such criteria were established at the begin of the RERTR Program

The criteria which can be keep at the reactor conversion from HEU to LEU In assessing the practical feasibility of utilizing lower enriched fuel in existing research reactors, the agreed criteria are: • that the safety margins and fuel reliability should not be lower than for the current design based on highly enriched uranium, • major reactor modifications should not be required, • and that preferably neither any loss in the overall reactor performance (e.g., flux-per-unit power) nor any increase in operation costs should be more than marginal. What means “marginal”? It was not so easy question at the begin of the RERTR Program! It is not so easy question till now!

Problems of the Use of HEU Depending on Types of Research Main tasks of research reactors • Fundamental Research • Material Testing • Neutron Physical Experiments • Generation of Intensive Neutron Pulses • Applied Tasks For all of these tasks it is necessary to provide required neutron fluxes and neutron spectrum

Fundamental Research • For these research the neuron flux shall be high as much as possible • By these reason the fundamental research concentrates on high or very-high research reactors • The neutron spectrum is very important for these research but it depends slightly from the uranium enrichment

Material Testing • For these tasks the level of the uranium enrichment is not so important as for fundamental research • Usually the neutron flux in research reactors is higher than in power reactors and by this reason in many cases there is a sufficient margin for the reactor conversion • There is a specific problem of the use of HEU in fast research reactors

Neutron Physical Experiments • The most appropriate facilities for these tasks are critical assemblies, i.e. facilities that have very small power and neutron flux level • It means that the conversion of these facilities from HEU to LEU is relatively easy task from the point of view of keeping of the same level of the neutron flux • But because many of critical assemblies are mock-ups of the big reactors it is absolutely necessary to have the same enrichment as in model-based reactor

Generation of Intensive Neutron Pulses • Usually for these tasks the pulse type reactors are used • Practically in all of these reactors only HEU are used May be it is only the result of the traditional approach • In any cases serious investigations of the possibility of the conversion of pulse type reactors were not made in previous years

Applied Tasks • There are a lot of applied tasks for which not necessary to have the high neutron flux • For the applied tasks there are no strong requirements for the neutron spectrum from the point of view of the uranium enrichment • Practically there is only one task that is very critical to the neutron flux level – it is the production of transuranium isotopes, mainly Cf-252

The amount of Cf-252 produced in one year from Pu-242 (a =10-5g Cf-252/g Pu-242; f - neutron flux)

ConclusionThe Importance of the Use of HEU in Different Types of Research • Fundamental Research very important • Material Testing not so important • Neutron Physical important in some cases • Generation of Intensive it is necessary toNeutron Pulses carry out anadditionalinvestigations • Applied Tasks in some cases very important

Operating Reactors • Operating reactors usually have a plenty of complicated experimental facilities, and experimenters have adapted to an existing level and spectrum of neutron fluxes • By this reason in the start of the RERTR Program the criterion according to which providing of the achieved level of neutron fluxes was an important condition • If penalties in neutron fluxes will take place they should be minimal

Operating Reactors • At the same time it is obvious that among operating reactors there is a considerable number of the reactors that use HEU and that can be converted to LEU without any penalties for experimenters (mainly low power reactors) • Use of HEU in these reactors is only the result of the inertial approach

Operating Reactors • Conversion of the high-flux operating reactors inevitably will result in losses for experimenters; • The acceptability of these losses depends from very many reasons • political will of officials, • economic opportunities, • perseverance of experimenters • etc.

Reactors under Construction • Now the number of research reactors under construction is not so big; but in some cases there is an intention to use HEU in them • If these reactors are not unique reactors with record levels of neutron fluxes it is possible to reach the compromise with experimenters about the required neutron flux level • If the decision on use of the LEU is accepted on early design stages serious problems for experimenters do not arise, and they will receive such facility which is required for them • Therefore the problem can be rather easily solved if to discuss it on an early design stage; as experience shows, it is relatively easy to convince experimenters to agree to use of the LEU in the future reactor in spite of the fact that parameters of the reactorwill be a little bit lower than at the use of HEU

Reactors under Construction • Nevertheless it is impossible to exclude that in the future the construction of very high flux reactors in which use HEU will be completely necessary can required • Probably, it should be very high-power reactors - not less than one hundred MW and intended for absolutely unique tasks – fundamental or applied; the number of such reactors all over the world will be very little, they will be used by the international collectives of users and to be under very strong physical protection • It seems that it will be right to have an opportunity for the use of HEU in such reactors in the future

Conclusion • The HEU has the neutron-physical advantages in comparison with LEU; by this reason till the middle of seventies years of last century the enrichments was increased • The use of LEU instead of HEU will require an additional expenses but for small power reactors it is possible to carry out the conversion of reactors from HEU to LEU without big penalties or maybe in general without some penalties

Conclusion • For different types of research the answer for the question about the possibility of the use of HEU can be different • More sensitive to the enrichment level are fundamental research; for other research the requirement of the use of HEU is not so strong except for the transuranium isotopes production

Conclusion • For limited number of very high power research reactors it is desirable to keep the capability to use HEU in the future because several applied scientific and applied research will require the neutron flux as big as possible and necessary results can not be get in the case of using of LEU • Full refusal of an opportunity of use of HEU would be probably wrong

General Conclusion As a whole it is possible to say that the conversion of research reactors from HEU to LEU results in penalties in neutron fluxes and consequently it is desirable to keep an opportunity of use HEU in the limited number of very high-flux reactors in which the problem of the achievement of maximum possible neutron flux density is of fundamental importance

Can All Research Reactors be Fueled only with LEU in the Future ?