Study on CANDLE Burning Fast Reactor with Initial Core Using Plutonium from LWR Spent Fuel

A CANDLE burning fast reactor can achieve effective utilization of uranium resources. Once it is started up, it needs only natural or depleted uranium, but the initial core must be constructed with enriched uranium or plutonium fuel. In this study, numerical calculations were performed to find the minimum amount of plutonium loaded in the initial core in order to start up many CANDLE burning fast reactors using plutonium from light water reactor spent fuel. Results showed that the minimum amount of 3.58 tons of plutonium in the initial core could keep a reactor critical during its entire operation period.