Citation:
P. O’Neal, “Comparison of U-233 Production by Thorium Irradiation in Heavy Water Reactor and Accelerator-Driven Subcritical Pile”, M.S. Thesis, Nuclear Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX (2020).
Abstract:
The purpose of this research was to compare the viability of producing uranium-233 using two oft-overlooked methods of fertile isotope transmutation: a heavy water moderated reactor and an accelerator-driven system. This type of investigation can be helpful in evaluating not only the capabilities available to a potential proliferator, but also indicate to regulators possible vulnerabilities that exist within the current safeguards regime. The impetus behind the selection of the two production methods was their ability to avoid many of the most heavily safeguarded methods and materials, while U-233 was chosen due to the global prevalence of thorium.