SavedAdd your journal

Journals / Politeknik Dergisi / 2026 / Cilt: 28 Sayı: 4

Utilization of the Thorium of the Holos-Quad Micro-Reactor Concept

Holos-Quad Mikro-Reaktör Konseptinde Toryumun Kullanımı

Ahmet Çifci(GAZİ ÜNİVERSİTESİ)0000-0002-4264-0693
Adem Acır(GAZİ ÜNİVERSİTESİ)0000-0002-9856-3623
Pages
1073–1079
Publication Date
2025-07-06
🏛️Bibliographic metadata and full text access for this article are provided via DergiPark.
DergiPark Record ↗
✨

AI Summary & Key Takeaways

AI Insight
⚡ TL;DR(Too Long; Didn't Read)

Finally, thorium mixed fuels with 35% WG-Pu or 75% RG-Pu would allow burn up levels of ~ 25 GWd/ton and ~15 GWd/ton with reactor operation periods ~3.5 years without fuel change, respectively.

📌 3 Key Takeaways

🎯
Objective & Hypothesis:In this study, the criticality and burnup analyses have been performed for Holos-Quad micro nuclear reactor as a thorium burner which has 15 ton reactor mass and 22 MWth full core geometry by using continuous-energy multi-purpose three-dimensional Serpent and OpenMC Monte Carlo particle transport code with ENDF/ B-VII data libraries.
📊
Key Findings & Data:As nuclear fuel, reactor grade (RG) and weapon grade (WG) Pu mixed with ThO2 in different proportions have been used.
💡
Conclusion & Impact:Finally, thorium mixed fuels with 35% WG-Pu or 75% RG-Pu would allow burn up levels of ~ 25 GWd/ton and ~15 GWd/ton with reactor operation periods ~3.5 years without fuel change, respectively.
🔬Design:Araştırma Makalesi
📍Scope:Comprehensive Sample
⚙️Variables:Monte Carlo · Mikro reaktör konsepti · Toryum

Abstract

In this study, the criticality and burnup analyses have been performed for Holos-Quad micro nuclear reactor as a thorium burner which has 15 ton reactor mass and 22 MWth full core geometry by using continuous-energy multi-purpose three-dimensional Serpent and OpenMC Monte Carlo particle transport code with ENDF/ B-VII data libraries. As nuclear fuel, reactor grade (RG) and weapon grade (WG) Pu mixed with ThO2 in different proportions have been used. Firstly, effective criticality for RG-Pu and WG-Pu for operation period have been determined. In addition, since each of the 4 subcritical power modules must be subcritical due to the structure of the Holos-Quad reactor, the criticality analysis of the power modules has been performed. The criticality, burnup and fissile fuel production of the Holos-Quad micro nuclear thorium-burner have been calculated with different fuel fraction depending on the fuel type. Finally, thorium mixed fuels with 35% WG-Pu or 75% RG-Pu would allow burn up levels of ~ 25 GWd/ton and ~15 GWd/ton with reactor operation periods ~3.5 years without fuel change, respectively.

Özet

Bu çalışmada, 15 ton reaktör kütlesi ve 22 MWth tüm çekirdek geometrisine sahip Holos-Quad mikro nükleer reaktör için toryum brülörü olarak kritiklik ve yanma analizleri, sürekli enerjili çok amaçlı üç boyutlu Serpent ve OpenMC Monte Carlo parçacık taşıma kodu ve ENDF/B-VII veri kütüphaneleri kullanılarak gerçekleştirilmiştir. Nükleer yakıt olarak, reaktör sınıfı (RG) ve silah sınıfı (WG) Pu ile farklı oranlarda ThO2 karışımı kullanılmıştır. Öncelikle, RG-Pu ve WG-Pu için işletme periyodu için etkin kritiklik belirlenmiştir. Ayrıca, Holos-Quad reaktörünün yapısı gereği 4 alt kritik güç modülünün her biri kritik altı olması gerektiğinden, güç modüllerinin kritiklik analizi gerçekleştirilmiştir. Holos-Quad mikro nükleer toryum brülörünün kritikliği, yanma ve fisil yakıt üretimi, yakıt türüne bağlı olarak farklı yakıt oranlarıyla hesaplanmıştır. Son olarak, %35 WG-Pu ve %75 RG-Pu içeren toryum karışımlı yakıtlar, yakıt değişimi yapılmadan reaktör işletme süreleri ~3,5 yıl olacak şekilde sırasıyla ~25 GWd/ton ve ~15 GWd/ton yanma seviyelerine olanak sağlamıştır.

🔖

Cite This Article

Çifci, A., Acır, A. (2025). Utilization of the Thorium of the Holos-Quad Micro-Reactor Concept. Politeknik Dergisi, Cilt: 28 Sayı: 4, 1073–1079. https://doi.org/10.2339/politeknik.1571850

📄 Full Text PDF Viewer

📄

PDF görüntüleyici hazırlanıyor...

References (28)

  1. Filippone, Claudio, and Kelly Jordan. "The holos reactor: A distributable power generator with transportable subcritical power modules." (2017).
  2. Firoozabadi, Mohammad Mahdi, et al. "The feasibility study of the Sub-criticalization of the Holos small modular reactor driven by an electron accelerator." Annals of Nuclear Energy 179: 109421, (2022).
  3. IAEA, “Potential of Thorium Based Fuel Cycles to Constrain Plutonium and Reduce Long Lived Waste Toxicity”, IAEA-TECDOC-1349, International Atomic Energy Agency, (2003).
  4. Ingersoll, Daniel T. "Deliberately small reactors and the second nuclear era." Progress in nuclear energy 51.4-5, 589-603, (2009).
  5. Iyer, Gokul, et al. "Implications of small modular reactors for climate change mitigation." Energy Economics 45, 144-154, (2014).
  6. Leppänen, Jaakko. "Serpent–a continuous-energy Monte Carlo reactor physics burnup calculation code." VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland 4.455, 2023-09, (2013).
  7. Michaelson, D., and J. Jiang. "Review of integration of small modular reactors in renewable energy microgrids." Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 152: 111638, (2021).
  8. Moore M. “The economics of very small modular reactors in the North”. In: 4th international technical meeting on small reactors (ITMSR-4). Ottawa, ON; (2016).
  9. Paul K. Romano, Nicholas E. Horelik, Bryan R. Herman, Adam G. Nelson, Benoit Forget, and Kord Smith, “OpenMC: A State-of-the-Art Monte Carlo Code for Research and Development,” Ann. Nucl. Energy, 82, 90–97 (2015).
  10. Romano, P.K., et al.,. OpenMC, https://openmc.org/, (2022).
  11. Shamanin I.V., V.M. Grachev, Yu.B. Chertkov, S.V. Bedenko, O. Mendoza, V.V. Knyshev. “Neutronic properties of high-temperature gas-cooled reactors with thorium fuel.” Annals of Nuclear Energy, 113, 286–293. (2018).
  12. Shamanin, I.V., S.V. Bedenkoa, Yu.B. Chertkova, I.M. Gubaydulin (2015). “Gas-cooled thorium reactor with fuel block of the unified design.” Nuclear Energy and Technology 1, 184-190, (2015).
  13. Stauff N. E., C. H. Lee, P. Shriwise, A. Wells, C. Filippone, “Neutronic Benchmark on HOLOS-QUAD Micro-Reactor Concept.” EPJ Web of Conferences, PHYSOR 2020, EPJ Web of Conferences 247, 01006 (2021)
  14. Stauff, Nicolas E., et al. "Design optimization of the holos-quad micro-reactor concept." EPJ Web of Conferences. Vol. 247. EDP Sciences, (2021).
  15. Şahin, Sümer, et al. "Criticality investigations for the fixed bed nuclear reactor using thorium fuel mixed with plutonium or minor actinides." Annals of Nuclear Energy 36.8: 1032-1038, (2009).
  16. Şahin, Sümer, Hacı Mehmet Şahin, and Adem Acir. "Criticality and burn up evolutions of the fixed bed nuclear reactor with alternative fuels." Energy Conversion and Management 51.9: 1781-1787, (2010).
  17. Şahin, Sümer, et al. "Investigation of CANDU reactors as a thorium burner." Energy Conversion and Management 47.13-14: 1661-1675, (2006).
  18. Şahin, Sümer, Hacı Mehmet Şahin, and Adem Acır. "Utilization of TRISO fuel with reactor grade plutonium in CANDU reactors." Nuclear engineering and design 240.8: 2066-2074, (2010).
  19. Şahin, Sümer, Hacı Mehmet Şahin, and Adem Acır. "Commercial utilization of weapon grade plutonium as TRISO fuel in conventional CANDU reactors." Energy conversion and management 63: 17-24, ( 2012).
  20. Vujić, Jasmina, et al. "Small modular reactors: Simpler, safer, cheaper?." Energy 45.1 (2012): 288-295,(2012).
  21. Çifci, A., & Acır, A., “Neutronic Assessment of High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Thorium Burner using Monte Carlo Calculation Method with Full Core Model.” Gazi University Journal of Science Part C: Design and Technology, 11(4), 903-912, (2023).
  22. Çifci, A.,“Bir mikro nükleer reaktörün nötronik analizi ve toryum yakıt kullanılabilirliğinin araştırılması.” (Yüksek lisans tezi). Yüksek Öğretim Kurulu Başkanlığı Ulusal Tez Merkezi. (814342) (2023).
  23. Tamer, E. M. R. E., Muhammed Mustafa İzgeç, and Adnan Sözen. "Enerji yoksulluğu konusundaki literatüre genel bakış." Politeknik Dergisi 26.3: 1255-1266, (2019).
  24. Avşar Ö., N., et al. "Enerji Üretim Yatırım Alternatiflerinin Değerlendirilmesinde Çok Kriterli Karar Verme Yöntemlerinin İstatistiksel ve Analitik Olarak Karşılaştırması: Türkiye Örneği." Journal of Polytechnic 25.2 (2022).
  25. Yağcı, B., E.,; Sözen, A., “Türkiye’nin enerji verimliliği etkinlik analizi.” Politeknik Dergisi, 1-1, (2023). https://doi.org/10.2339/politeknik.859790
  26. Şahin, Sümer, Hacı Mehmet Şahin, and Adem Acır. "Commercial utilization of weapon grade plutonium as TRISO fuel in conventional CANDU reactors." Energy conversion and management 63: 17-24, ( 2012).
  27. Çifci, A., & Acır, A., “Neutronic Assessment of High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Thorium Burner using Monte Carlo Calculation Method with Full Core Model.” Gazi University Journal of Science Part C: Design and Technology, 11(4), 903-912, (2023).
  28. Çifci, A.,“Bir mikro nükleer reaktörün nötronik analizi ve toryum yakıt kullanılabilirliğinin araştırılması.” (Yüksek lisans tezi). Yüksek Öğretim Kurulu Başkanlığı Ulusal Tez Merkezi. (814342) (2023).