Monolithic Fuel and High-Flux Reactor Conversion

Monolithic fuels are the most promising candidate for a next generation of high-density research reactor fuels. If successfully developed, the remaining HEU-fueled reactors in the world could presumably be converted to low-enriched fuel — and the use of highly enriched uranium in the civilian nuclear fuel cycle eventually terminated. The most challenging type of reactors to convert are single element reactors because their core geometry is generally the least flexible. This specific reactor type is therefore the primary focus of this article. Based on new computational tools and optimization methods, neutronics calculations are presented to assess the potential of monolithic fuels for conversion of high-flux reactors in general and of single element reactors in particular. The 26th International Meeting on RERTR, November 7–12, 2004, Vienna International Centre, Vienna, Austria