Abstract The assessment of nuclear safety and the potential risks associated with proliferation is a critical area of research in the context of nuclear energy utilization. This study focuses on evaluating the Material Attractiveness (ATTR) in several light water-based reactor designs, specifically NuScale, ESBWR, BWRX-300, and PWR, both during reactor operation and post-operation. The analysis employed Origen 2. 2 for modeling radioactive decay and MCNP4C for assessing material attractiveness. The findings reveal an increase in the production of plutonium isotopes, with the exception of Pu-239, which decreases as a result of the fission. Initially, the Pu-240 composition across all four reactors is classified as Super-grade plutonium. However, with increased burnup, the Pu-240 composition transitions to a reactor-grade plutonium level. At the initial of irradiation, the ATTR values were determined to be 0. 19 for the ESBWR, 0. 20 for the PWR, 0. 16 for the BWRX-300, and 0. 21 for NuScale, categorizing them within the weapon-grade range. By the end of reactor operation, these values had significantly decreased, with ESBWR at 0. 0125, PWR at 0. 0148, BWRX-300 at 0. 0111, and NuScale at 0. 0133, placing them in the un-usable grade category. This marked reduction in ATTR values, correlated with increased burnup, indicates an effective decrease from weapon-grade to un-usable grade by the end of the reactorˢ operational period. This trend is primarily influenced by the increased production of isotopes Pu-238, Pu-240, Pu-242, and the corresponding decrease in Pu-239, the primary fissile material.
Nasyidiah et al. (Tue,) studied this question.
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