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Trading in Uranium for Thorium

New type of nuclear fuel could solve security, storage issues

Cesium is very mobile in thorium fuel and has strong preferences regarding where it rests in the fuel’s molecular structure.

When removed from nuclear power stations, uranium-fuel rods contain plutonium and other elements that present security and environmental concerns. To prevent it from being acquired for weapons, the fuel must be secured. However, the storage system also must protect the environment for generations. So, the stakes are pretty high. But, what if the stakes weren’t so high? Enter thorium-based fuel. This fuel provides the necessary energy with fewer troubling by-products. One challenge in using thorium fuels is that performance falls off as certain elements build up and move around in the fuel. To lessen the impact of these troubling elements, aka “fission products,” scientists conducted advanced computational studies to select the fission products that cause the greatest performance issues. They followed up by determining where and how the elements migrated. The Materials Science of Actinides, led by Notre Dame University, conducted the study.

Reference:

Xiao HY, Y Zhang, and WJ Weber. 2011. “Trapping and Diffusion of Fission Products in ThO₂ and CeO₂.” Journal of Nuclear Materials 414(3), 464-470. DOI: 10.1016/j.jnucmat.2011.05.037.