An advantage of the In-Zinerator concept is that it can operate
with the lowest possible support ratio. The support ratio is the
ratio of transmutation reactors to light water reactors required to
burn up the transuranic actinides as fast as the current light water
T.A. Mehlhorn et al. / Fusion Engineering and Design 83 (2008) 948–953 951
reactor fleet produces them. The In-Zinerator does not require any
fertile material, like U238, which would otherwise breed additional
actinides. This allows the In-Zinerator concept to reach a much
lower support ratio than fast reactors (FRs). Specifically, the InZinerator
support ratio in the fuel cycle is 1:5, meaning that one
In-Zinerator will be required for every five light water reactors
in order to burn up the transuranic actinides as fast as the light
water reactor fleet produces them. The current fleet of light water
reactors would then require about twenty In-Zinerators, each producing
1000 MWe to stabilize transuranic levels. If, on the other
hand, the plutonium were first recycled to light water reactors,
the In-Zinerator support ratio would increase to1:10 because of the
decrease in volume of the leftover Pu isotopes remaining with the
Np/Am/Cm.