Burning of the Minor Actinides in fuel cycle of the MTR-reactors

Highlights: • Re-cycling of the ETRR-2 core by the UO₂ caramel fuel. • Re-cycling of the ETRR-2 core by the MOX mixed with some actinides was made. • Neutronic parameters of the studied fuels were calculated and compared. • Reduction of the ²³⁵U mass loaded in the ETRR-2 core was realized. • Power peaking factors of the studied fuels were calculated and compared. - Abstract: A computational study to recycle the spent fuel of the MTR-22 MW reactor by MOX (UO₂ and PuO₂) caramel fuel (CF) mixed with ²³⁷Np, ²⁴¹Am, ^242mAm, ²⁴³Am and ²⁴⁵Cm as burnable absorber actinides has been performed. The calculation results showed that the enrichment with ²³⁵U and the loaded amount of the ²³⁵U uranium decreases significantly up to 33%. A re-evaluation of the criticality, the neutronic parameters, and the power peaking factors for the MTR-22 MW reactor for the MOX CF mixed with the ²³⁷Np, ²⁴¹Am, ^242mAm, ²⁴³Am and ²⁴⁵Cm actinides was done. The obtained results showed that re-cycling the spent fuel of MTR-22 MW reactor by MOX CF mixed with 0.01% (²³⁷Np, ²⁴¹Am, ^242mAm, ²⁴³Am and ²⁴⁵Cm) actinides has no negative effects on the safety of the reactor. In addition re-cycling the plutonium and the ²³⁷Np, ²⁴¹Am, ^242mAm, ²⁴³Am and ²⁴⁵Cm actinides together leads to less hazardous and possibly more useful forms of the radioactive wastes, and enhances the proliferation resistance of the fissile materials.