The conceptual study of thorium fuel cycle for TRU transmutation and energy production

The concept of thorium molten salt fuel cycle has been studied as the alternative fuel cycles for the production of electricity as well as transmutation of TRU elements. At the early stage of the fuel cycle, fissile plutonium isotopes in TRU elements will be incinerated to produce enegy and to breed U-233 from thorium. Preliminary calculation showed that periodic removal of fission products and small amount of TRU elements addition could maintain the criticality without separation of Pa-233. At the end of the fuel cycle, the composition of fissile plutonium isotopes in TRU elements was significantly reduced from about 60% to 18%, which is not attractive any more for the diversion of plutonium. The TRU elements remained at the end of fuel cycle can be incinerated in HYPER having fast neutron spectra