METHOD OF OPERATING A NUCLEAR REACTOR IN A CLOSED THORIUM FUEL CYCLE Russian patent published in 2019 - IPC G21C1/00 

FIELD: nuclear physics and equipment.

SUBSTANCE: invention relates to a method of operating water-cooled nuclear reactors (WWER) in a thorium fuel cycle (²³⁵U_α²³⁸U_β²³²Th_1-α-β)) O₂, providing operating time of active uranium isotopes ²³³U, ²³⁵U, ²³⁹Pu and ²⁴¹Pu with output to closed thorium-uranium-plutonium fuel cycle of equilibrium isotopic composition with regulation of reactor operation by changing neutron spectrum. Method includes initial loading of reactor core with thorium oxide fuel with high enrichment by isotope ²³⁵U (²³⁵U~99 %, ²³⁸U~1 %) with possibility of transition in the following campaigns to operation on thorium-uranium-plutonium fuel of equilibrium isotopic composition. Actinides produced in the process of one campaign, including fissile isotopes ²³³U, ²³⁵U, ²³⁹Pu and ²⁴¹Pu is used as a material capable of nuclear fission when generating a load for the next campaign, at the end of each campaign, adding to the thorium-uranium-plutonium fuel irradiated from the reactor core, at the start of the subsequent campaign, the amount of crude thorium required for further recycling of actinides. As retarder and heat carrier at start of all campaigns heavy water D₂O is used with further dilution thereof with light water H₂O for the campaign.

EFFECT: technical result is simplification of fuel recycling and simplified handling of radioactive wastes.

1 cl, 3 dwg