Analysis of ²³⁵U-Pu-²³⁸U-Fueled Tight-Lattice Water Reactors

When ²³⁵U is introduced into ²³⁸U-Pu-fueled tight-lattice water reactors, it improves the performance of these reactors in two ways. First, ²³⁵U tends to improve the reactivity void response of the core by making it less positive or even negative. Second, introducing ²³⁵U makes a high conversion reactor breed with respect to plutonium. This impacts positively on the plutonium inventory and the rate of the introduction of the high conversion tight-lattice reactors.