This study investigates the use of Protactinium oxide (PaO2) and Neptunium oxide (NpO2) as regenerative burnable-absorber coatings for improving long-cycle reactivity control in a European Pressurized Reactor (EPR) fuel core. The proposed concept applies thin PaO2 and NpO2 layers to (Th-233U)O2 Integral Fuel Burnable Absorber (IFBA) fuel rods and evaluates their neutronic performance relative to conventional UO2+Gd2O3 and (Th-233U)O2+Gd2O3 (thorium-based) reference designs. Using the full-core SERPENT continuous-energy Monte Carlo code simulations, key parameters including burnup behavior, fissile-inventory retention, neutron-flux spectrum, radioactivity buildup, and actinide/fission-product evolution are assessed. Safety-related indicators such as fuel-temperature, moderator-temperature, and boron-worth coefficients are also examined to determine the impact of regenerative transmutation on inherent stability. The results show that, although the coated cases exhibit higher BOC keff than the Gd-bearing reference cores (because the coated designs are gadolinia-free), PaO2/NpO2 coatings produce a steeper early-cycle reactivity burn-down and reduce the overall reactivity swing, while sustaining higher reactivity at extended burnup through in-situ formation of 233U and 239Pu. These coatings promote smoother power distribution, stronger boron worth, and reduced reactivity swing compared with Gd-bearing fuel, while yielding lower cumulative radioactivity. Overall, the findings indicate that PaO2 and NpO2 coatings offer a promising pathway for enhancing fuel-cycle economy, safety coefficients, and reactivity management in Generation III+ light-water-reactor cores.
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