SAINS MALAYSIANA

Sains Malaysiana 54(6)(2025): 1605-1616

http://doi.org/10.17576/jsm-2025-5406-15

Neutronic Investigation of the Fuji-12 MSR Reactor with a Rectangular Core Configuration and Plutonium-Based Fuel

(Penyelidikan Neutronik Reaktor MSR Fuji-12 dengan Konfigurasi Teras Segi Empat dan Bahan Api Berasaskan Plutonium)

RATNA DEWI SYARIFAH^1,*, AHMAD MUZAKI MABRURI², ZEIN HANIFAH¹, FAJRI PRASETYA², ARTOTO ARKUNDATO¹, LUTFI ROHMAN¹ & WENNY MAULINA¹

¹Department of Physics, Universitas Jember, Kalimantan Street, No 37, Krajan Timur, Sumbersari Subdistrict, Jember, East Java, 68121, Indonesia

²Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering, Institut Teknologi Bandung, Bandung, 40132, Indonesia

Diserahkan: 17 September 2024/Diterima: 21 Mac 2025

Abstract

A neutronic investigation of the design of the FUJI-12 Molten Salt Reactor (MSR) with a rectangular core configuration and plutonium-based fuel has been conducted. MSR FUJI-12 is a reactor with molten salt fuel developed by Japan. This reactor operates at a power of 350 MWt, an operating temperature of up to 980 K, and the capability to perform nuclide transmutation. The purpose of this research was to investigate the optimal design of the MSR FUJI-12 with a rectangular fuel channel lattice and plutonium-based fuel to achieve a neutronically safe design capable of burning the remaining reactor-grade plutonium (RGP) and weapon-grade plutonium (WGP) during reactor operation. In this research, the fuel composition is based on fluoride salt LiF-BeF₂-ThF₄-UF₄-PuF₃. The investigation was conducted using OpenMC neutronics code with the nuclear data library ENDF/B-VII.1. The results show that the optimal composition for RGP is 1.14% PuF₃ and 0.60% PuF₃for RGP. In addition, the burn-up ratio of Pu₂₃₉in RGP is 44.3% and 61.1% for WGP. The results of the FIR analysis show that the WGP and RGP cause a very significant reduction in plutonium because the cleavage process is dominated by fissile plutonium. In addition, the changes in PuF₃ composition in WGP and RGP affect the neutron reaction characteristics, including macroscopic cross-section, neutron spectrum flux, total reaction rate, neutron flux, and power distribution in axial and radial directions.

Keywords: MSR FUJI-12; OpenMC; plutonium; rectangular; transmutation

Abstrak

Penyelidikan ke atas reka bentuk neutronik Reaktor Garam Lebur (MSR) FUJI-12 dengan konfigurasi teras segi empat tepat dan bahan api berasaskan plutonium telah dijalankan. MSR FUJI-12 ialah reaktor dengan bahan api garam cair yang dibangunkan oleh Jepun. Reaktor ini beroperasi dengan kuasa 350 MWt, mempunyai suhu operasi yang tinggi sehingga 980 K dan mampu menjalankan proses transmutasi nuklida. Penyelidikan ini bertujuan untuk meneroka reka bentuk optimum FUJI-12 MSR dengan grid saluran bahan api segi empat tepat dan bahan api berasaskan plutonium untuk mencapai reka bentuk selamat neutronik yang mampu membakar sisa Reaktor Gred Plutonium (RGP) dan Gred Senjata Plutonium (WGP) semasa reaktor operasi. Dalam penyelidikan ini, komposisi bahan api adalah berdasarkan garam fluorida LiF-BeF₂-ThF₄-UF₄-PuF₃. Penyelidikan telah dijalankan menggunakan kod neutronik OpenMC dengan perpustakaan data nuklear ENDF/B-VII.1. Hasil kajian menunjukkan komposisi optimum untuk RGP ialah 1.14% PuF₃ dan 0.60% PuF₃ untuk RGP. Di samping itu, nisbah pembakaran Pu₂₃₉ dalam RGP ialah 44.3% dan 61.1% untuk WGP. Hasil analisis FIR menunjukkan bahawa WGP dan RGP menyebabkan pengurangan plutonium yang sangat ketara kerana proses pembelahan didominasi oleh plutonium fisil. Di samping itu, perubahan dalam komposisi PuF₃ dalam WGP dan RGP mempengaruhi ciri-ciri tindak balas neutron, termasuk keratan rentas makroskopik, fluks spektrum neutron, kadar tindak balas jumlah, fluks neutron dan pengagihan kuasa dalam arah paksi dan jejari.

Kata kunci: MSR FUJI-12; OpenMC; plutonium; segi empat tepat; transmutasi

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*Pengarang untuk surat-menyurat; email: rdsyarifah.fmipa@unej.ac.id