A Uranium-Plutonium-Neptunium Fuel Cycle to Produce Isotopically Denatured Plutonium

In view of the considerable amount of /sup 237/ Np produced as a by-product in nuclear power reactors, possible utilization of this nuclide in the nuclear fuel cycle has been studied. In particular, the performance of a gas-cooled fast breeder reactor as a neptunium burner was assessed. A strategy was developed and mass flows were computed for a denatured plutonium LWR strategy using uranium, plutonium and neptunium recycling. 10 refs.