Supercritical-pressure water cooled thermal reactor with uranium–plutonium–thorium fuel cycle and bidirectional coolant flow articles

Computational results obtained for fuel assemblies and a core with uni- and bidirectional coolant flow are presented for a water-cooled reactor with a thermal neutron spectrum. It is shown that a bidirectional scheme for cooling fuel assemblies has advantages over a unidirectional scheme and holds promise for Gen IV water-cooled reactors with supercritical coolant pressure, which make it possible to perfect the technology for closing and drawing thorium into the fuel cycle.