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Ensuring the possibility of using thorium as a fuel in a pressurized water reactor (PWR)

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Abstract

The possibility of utilizing thorium as a fuel in a pressurized water reactor (PWR) has been proven from the neutronic perspective in our previously published work without assessing the thermal hydraulic (TH) and solid structure performances. Therefore, the TH and solid structure performances must be studied to confirm these results and ensure the possibility of using a thorium-based fuel as an excellent accident-tolerant fuel. The TH and solid structure performances of thorium-based fuels were investigated and compared with those of UO2. The radial and axial power peaking factors (PPFs) for UO2, (232Th, 235U) O2, and (232Th, 233U) O2 were examined with a PWR assembly to determine the total PPF of each one. Both Gd2O3 and Er2O3 were tested as burnable absorbers (BAs) to manage the excess reactivity at the beginning of the fuel cycle (BOC) and reduce the total PPF. Er2O3 resulted in a more significant reduction to the total PPF and, therefore, a greater reduction to the temperature distribution compared to Gd2O3. Given these results, we analyzed the effects of adding Er2O3 to thorium-based fuels on their TH and solid structure performances.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Nuclear Engineering Department, Military Technical College, Kobry Elkobbah, Cairo, Egypt

    Mohamed Y. M. Mohsen & Mohamed A. E. Abdel-Rahman

  2. Higher Technological Institute, 10th of Ramadan City, Egypt

    A. Abdelghafar Galahom

Authors
  1. Mohamed Y. M. Mohsen
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  2. Mohamed A. E. Abdel-Rahman
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  3. A. Abdelghafar Galahom
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Contributions

All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection, and analysis were performed by Mohamed Y.M. Mohsen, Mohamed A.E. Abdel-Rahman, and A. Abdelghafar Galahom. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Mohamed Y.M. Mohsen, and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to A. Abdelghafar Galahom.

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Mohsen, M.Y.M., Abdel-Rahman, M.A.E. & Galahom, A.A. Ensuring the possibility of using thorium as a fuel in a pressurized water reactor (PWR). NUCL SCI TECH 32, 137 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41365-021-00981-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s41365-021-00981-0

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