Abstract
The operating regime of a VVÉR reactor in which the most important long-lived fission products 99Tc and 129I are transmuted is investigated. Estimates are presented for the decrease in the fuel burnup and decrease in the run time as a result of transmutation. Two methods for inserting the nuclides to be transmuted are examined – by adding to the nuclear fuel or the coolant. It is established that 99Tc and 129I transmutation with the rate of accumulation in a reactor decreases burnup by 5.1 GW·days/metric ton, i.e., by 12.7% of the standard burnup. This corresponds to electricity underproduction 110 GW·days per run or 37 GW·days per year of operation. This result is independent of the method used to insert the nuclides to be transmuted. These energy losses are the price to be paid for transmuting nuclides without removing them during reactor operation.
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Gerasimov, A.S., Zaritskaya, T.S., Kiselev, G.V. et al. The Cost of Transmutation of Fission Products in Nuclear Reactors. Atomic Energy 94, 154–157 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1024246118020
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1024246118020