Advanced light water reactor with hard neutron spectrum for realizing flexible plutonium utilization (FLWR)

プルトニウム資源の柔軟な利用を実現する軽水冷却高速炉

内川 貞夫; 大久保 努; 中野 佳洋 

Uchikawa, Sadao; Okubo, Tsutomu; Nakano, Yoshihiro

FLWRは、発電炉としての経験・実績が豊富な軽水炉技術に立脚して増殖による持続的なプルトニウムの多重リサイクル利用を目指した水冷却高速炉であり、同一炉心構成のもとで燃料集合体の仕様を変更することにより、将来の核燃料サイクル環境の進展に対応した柔軟かつ高度な資源の利用を実現するものである。これまでの設計研究により、1.0を越える転換比と負のボイド反応度係数を維持してプルトニウムの多重リサイクル利用が可能であることを確認している。本論文では、FLWRの全体概念と炉心設計に関する最新成果を紹介する。

An advanced LWR with hard neutron spectrum named FLWR is a BWR-type reactor with a core consisting of hexagonal-shaped fuel assemblies with a triangular tight-lattice fuel rod configuration. It has been proposed in order to ensure sustainable energy supply in the future based on the well-experienced LWR technologies. The reactor concept of the FLWR is designed to utilize the most of the existing Advanced Boiling Water Reactor (ABWR) plant system. Therefore, only the core concept is new. The FLWR aims at effective and flexible utilization of uranium and plutonium resources by adopting a two-stage concept of core designs. The core in the first stage of FLWR is for intensive utilization and conservation of plutonium with no degradation of the isotopic quality of plutonium based on the experience of the current LWR-MOX utilizations. The one in the second stage realizes sustainable multiple plutonium recycling with a high conversion ratio over 1.0. When the technologies and infrastructures for multiple recycling with MOX spent fuel reprocessing are established, the core of the first stage proceeds to the second stage by only changing the fuel assembly design in the same reactor system. The present paper summarizes the recent core design studies of FLWR.