The Comparison of Control Rod Materials for Advanced Fast Reactors
Abstract
With the increase in global pollution and climate change, scientist and engineering’s are in the process of figuring out a great alternative for current energy sources such as Nuclear and Hydro. With 60 % of Ontario being powered by Nuclear Energy and 11% of the world advancements should be made to help increase cleaner energy that current Coal and Gas Methods. In this article we will be discussing various novel material to consider for the production of nuclear control rods for advanced fast reactors. Advanced Fast Reactors (AFR) have their pros and cons over thermal nuclear reactors. Advantages of AFR include higher neutron efficiency and sustainability to name a few and its disadvantages include higher cost and more importantly, unpredictable changes in the environment of Advanced Fast Reactors. To make Advanced Fast Reactors more acceptable for production use, the dangers of Advanced Fast Reactors must be addressed. Control rods assist in controlling the reactivity of a reactor and advancements in its efficiency and rod worth will help take the next step into decreasing the dangers in Advanced Fast Reactors. Currently, Boron Carbide is mainly being used as the material for control rods, and various materials such as Dysprosium Titanate and Dysprosium Hafnate are being considered and tested. It was concluded that Dysprosium Hafnate is the better of the various materials due to its structural properties. It is tested to be more resistance to radiation and has a wider range of resonance neutron absorption.
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