Special thorium-plutonium hydrides for fast treatment reactor

Abstract

A lightly hydrided/deuterated metallic plutonium-thorium fuel for use in a fast fission pool-type nuclear reactor cooled with liquid metal coolants, including lithium-7 lead eutectic, lead bismuth eutectic or lead. When so used, plutonium-239 is consumed, and merchantable heat is produced along with fissile uranium-233, which can be denatured with uranium-238 and used in light water reactors as fuel.

What is claimed as invention is: 
     
         1 . A method of producing merchantable heat and uranium-233, said method comprising the steps of:
 (a) providing the metallic nuclear fuel of  claim 1  or  2 ;   (b) fissioning the plutonium-239 over a long period of irradiation;   (c) separating fissile uranium-233 from the spent thorium-plutonium-hydride after step (b); and   (d) blending the fissile uranium-233 to uranium-238 to make nuclear fuel; thereby obviating the need to use isotopic enrichment facilities to produce nuclear fuels.   
     
     
         2 . A special fast treatment reactor (SFTR) system for destroying surplus weapons grade plutonium and/or reactor grade plutonium associated with transuranics, for producing energy and proliferation resistant uranium fuels for use in existing reactors comprising:
 a pool type reactor vessel having a reactor core;   a plurality of fuel rods comprising a computationally optimized temperature-influenced thorium and plutonium fuel, said fuel lightly deuterated and hydrided and arrayed in concentric ring type patterns that allow neutron communication among and between said fuel rods;   a plurality of selectively retractable computationally optimized spectrum shaping rods interspersed among said fuel rods, said spectrum shaping rods comprising thorium and hydrogen species; plurality of selectively retractable computationally optimized control rods of neutron absorbing metals including hafnium, tungsten, and niobium, said control rods disposed among said fuel rods;   a plurality of selectively retractable thorium reflector rods disposed in at least one ring encircling said control rods, said spectrum shaping rods, and said fuel rods;   wherein said all of said control rods, said spectrum shaping rods, and said fuel rods are disposed in a pool of circulating liquid metal or liquid metal eutectic for conducting and convecting heat from the fuel rods to a heat exchange system external to the reactor core.   
     
     
         3 . The SFTR system of  claim 2 , wherein said liquid metal is lithium-7 lead eutectic. 
     
     
         4 . The SFTR system of  claim 2 , wherein said liquid metal is lead bismuth eutectic. 
     
     
         5 . The SFTR system of  claim 2 , wherein said liquid metal is lead.