The utilization (transmutation using the released energy) of Np, Am, and Cm in a specialized VVER-type reactor operating power 1000 MW(e) is studied by computational means. Five successive reactor runs, where the fuel elements contain Np, Am, Cm, and enriched uranium, are studied. It is shown that Np, Am, and Cm produced by several VVER-1000 reactors can be utilized in one run (900 days) of a specialized reactor without any technological and structural changes. Up to 4% of the reactor power comes from the fission of these radionuclides.
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Translated from Atomnaya Énergiya, Vol. 107, No. 2, pp. 81–86, August, 2009.
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Bergelson, B.R., Belonog, V.V., Gerasimov, A.S. et al. Np, Am, Cm utilization in a nuclear power reactor. At Energy 107, 103–109 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10512-009-9203-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10512-009-9203-5