Nuclear power to be sustainable requires the fulfilling of peculiar constraints, which include addressing the proliferation risk. One possible route for sustainability is that to adopt a fuel cycle based on thorium. However, comparison with uranium cycle indicates that thorium cycle utilization is premature. Instead, a promising short-term option is the use of inert matrix fuels, possibly containing thoria, in a once-through cycle. Irradiation tests performed in the Halden reactor show encouraging behaviour under irradiation. Furthermore, these fuels are very well suited for a direct disposal in a geological repository.
Titolo: | Thoria and Inert Matrix Fuels for a Sustainable Nuclear Power |
Data di pubblicazione: | 1-nov-2008 |
Handle: | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12079/485 |
Appare nelle tipologie: | 1.1 Articolo in rivista |