Seed-blanket converter-recycle breeder reactor

Claim 1

IN A NEUTRONIC REACTOR OF THE CONVERTER-RECYCLE BREEDER TYPE WHICH CONTAINS MORE FISSILE MATERIAL AT THE END OF USEFUL CORE LIFETIME THAN THE INITIAL CORE LOADING OF FISSILE MATERIAL, A REACTOR CORE HAVING A PLURALITY OF SPACED SEED REGIONS AND A BLANKET REGION COMPLETELY SURROUNDING EACH OF SAID SEED REGIONS, EACH OF THE SEED REGIONS EXTENDING AXIALLY BETWEEN THE ENDS OF THE REACTOR CORE, AND A BLANKET SECTION POSITIONED INTERMEDIATE EACH OF THE ENDS OF EACH SEED REGION AND THE CORRESPONDING END OF THE REACTOR CORE, SAID SEED REGIONS BEING FUELED WITH U233 AND SAID BLANKET REGION BEING FUELED WITH TH232, SAID REACTOR CORE BEING MODERATED AND COOLED BY LIGHT WATER, MEANS FOR REDUCING THE ABSORPTION OF NEUTRONS BY PA233 AND FOR MINIMIZING THE PARASITIC LOSSES OF NEUTRONS IN SAID CORE, SAID MEANS COMPRISING MEANS FOR MOVING PORTIONS OF SAID SEEDS AND SAID BLANKET OUT OF SAID CORE TO CONTROL THE REACTIVITY OF SAID CORE, WHEREBY PARASITIC LOSSES OF NEUTRONS TO CONTROL POISONS ARE ELIMINATED, SAID SEEDS HAVING A H TO U233 ATOM RATIO THEREIN OF FROM 30 TO 120, SAID SEED HAVING A VOLUME FRACTION IN SAID CORE LYING BETWEEN 15 AND 40% OF THE TOTAL CORE VOLUME, SAID BLANKET BEING FORMED WITH AN AVERAGE H TO TH232 ATOM RATIO OF BETWEEN 0.4 AND 1.5, SAID CORE BEING FUELED WITH AN ATOM RATIO OF U233 TO TH232 LYING BETWEEN 0.005 AND 0.1 AND A SPECIFIC POWER LYING BETWEEN 300 AND 1500 KW./KG., SAID REACTOR CORE BEING ARRANGED TO PREVENT NEUTRON LEAKAGE THEREFROM OF AN AMOUNT GREATER THAN 1% OF THE TOTAL NEUTRONS PRODUCED IN THE CORE WHEREBY SAID CORE OPERATIES AT A SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM POWER DENSITY AND WHEREBY SAID REACTOR CONTAINS A LARGER FISSILE FUEL INVENTORY AT THE END OF LIFE THAN ITS INITIAL INVENTORY AND WHEREBY SAID REACTOR IS OPERATED SUCH THAT EQUILIBRIUM FUEL CONCENTRATIONS DO NOT OCCUR FOR APPROXIMATELY 100 YEARS.