Specialists of the Tomsk Polytechnic University (TPU), together with other Russian scientists, began developing and testing a hybrid of nuclear and thermonuclear reactors. The results were published in Nuclear Engineering and Technology.
As scientists told, the system consists of a source of thermonuclear neutrons and an active zone (blanket), where heavy nuclei is divided. It works with a mixture of thorium and weapon plutonium. They explained that the thorium itself is not a source of energy. However, uranium-233 is formed from it, the accumulation of which in the active zone increases the duration of the fuel cycle.
According to scientists, the development will combine the reliability of nuclear reactors along with the economy and environmental safety of thermonuclear. In particular, the thorium in the hybrid reactor replaces uranium-238, which is used in conventional fission reactors. This allows you to strongly reduce the volume of radioactive waste.
Associate Professor of the Branch of the Nuclear Fuel Cycle (Oyatz) TPU Sergey Bedenko explained the key difference between the hybrid reactor from the usual. “The nuclear material is not in a strictly critical condition, as in the traditional reactor, and in a state close to the critical, which eliminates the possibility of the development of an uncontrolled chain reaction,” he said.
The reactor developed will have a capacity of about 60-100 megawatts and relatively small size. It is argued that he will be able to work without rebooting fuel for more than eight years. According to experts, this will allow the system to use the system in hard-to-reach regions to obtain electricity, heat and environmentally friendly hydrogen fuel.