Neutronic performance calculations with alternative fluids in a hybrid reactor by using the Monte Carlo method

Abstract

Abstract In this study, salt-heavy metal mixtures consisting of 93–85% Li20Sn80 + 5% SFG-PuO2 and 2–10% UO2, 93–85% Li20Sn80 + 5% SFG-PuO2 and 2–10% NpO2, and 93–85% Li20Sn80 + 5% SFG-PuO2 and 2–10% UCO were used as fluids. The fluids were used in the liquid first wall, blanket, and shield zones of a fusion–fission hybrid reactor system. A beryllium (Be) zone with a width of 3 cm was used for neutron multiplicity between the liquid first wall and the blanket. 9Cr2WVTa ferritic steel with the width of 4 cm was used as the structural material. The contributions of each isotope in the fluids to the nuclear parameters, such as tritium breeding ratio (TBR), energy multiplication factor (M), and heat deposition rate, of the fusion–fission hybrid reactor were calculated in the liquid first wall, blanket, and shield zones. Three-dimensional analyses were performed using the Monte Carlo code MCNPX-2.7.0 and nuclear data library ENDF/B-VII.0.