Performance of natural uranium- and thorium-fueled fast breeder reactors (FBRs) for 233U fissile production

The performance of natural uranium and thorium-fueled fast breeder reactors (FBRs) for producing 233U fissile material, which does not exist in nature, is investigated. It is recognized that excess neutrons from FBRs with good neutron economic characteristics can be efficiently used for producing 233U. Two distinct metallic fuel pins, one with natural uranium and another with natural thorium, are loaded into a large sodium-cooled FBR. 233U and the associated-U isotopes are extracted from the thorium fuel pins. The FBR itself is self-sustained by plutonium produced in the uranium fuel pins. Under the equilibrium state, both uranium and thorium spent fuels are periodically discharged with a certain discharge rate and then separated. All discharged fission products are removed and all discharged actinides are returned to the FBRs except the discharged uranium utilized for fresh fuel of the other thorium-cycled reactors. 233U-production rate of the FBRs as a function of both the uranium–thorium fuel pins fraction in the core and the discharge fuel burnup is estimated. The result shows that larger fraction of uranium pins is better for the FBR criticality while larger fraction of thorium fuel pins and lower fuel burnup give higher 233U production rate.