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Author: International Atomic Energy Agency
Publisher: IAEA
ISBN:
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 100
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Book Description
The reactors around the world have produced more than 2000 tonnes of plutonium, contained in spent fuel or as separated forms through reprocessing. Disposition of fissile materials has become a primary concern of nuclear non-proliferation efforts worldwide. There is a significant interest in IAEA Member States to develop proliferation resistant nuclear fuel cycles for incineration of plutonium such as inert matrix fuels (IMFs). This publication reviews the status of potential IMF candidates and describes several identified candidate materials for both fast and thermal reactors: MgO, ZrO2, SiC, Zr alloy, SiAl, ZrN; some of these have undergone test irradiations and post irradiation examination. Also discussed are modelling of IMF fuel performance and safety analysis. System studies have identified strategies for both implementation of IMF fuel as homogeneous or heterogeneous phases, as assemblies or core loadings and in existing reactors in the shorter term, as well as in new reactors in the longer term.
Author: International Atomic Energy Agency
Publisher: IAEA
ISBN:
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 100
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Book Description
The reactors around the world have produced more than 2000 tonnes of plutonium, contained in spent fuel or as separated forms through reprocessing. Disposition of fissile materials has become a primary concern of nuclear non-proliferation efforts worldwide. There is a significant interest in IAEA Member States to develop proliferation resistant nuclear fuel cycles for incineration of plutonium such as inert matrix fuels (IMFs). This publication reviews the status of potential IMF candidates and describes several identified candidate materials for both fast and thermal reactors: MgO, ZrO2, SiC, Zr alloy, SiAl, ZrN; some of these have undergone test irradiations and post irradiation examination. Also discussed are modelling of IMF fuel performance and safety analysis. System studies have identified strategies for both implementation of IMF fuel as homogeneous or heterogeneous phases, as assemblies or core loadings and in existing reactors in the shorter term, as well as in new reactors in the longer term.
Author: International Atomic Energy Agency
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 90
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Book Description
Author: James S. Tulenko
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Plutonium
Languages : en
Pages : 10
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Book Description
Author: J. Wang
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 5
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Book Description
The University of Florida has underway an ongoing research program to validate the economic, operational and performance benefits of developing an inert matrix fuel (IMF) for the disposition of the U.S. weapons plutonium (Pu) and for the recycle of reprocessed Pu. The current fuel form of choice for Pu disposition for the Department of Energy is as a mixed oxide (MOX) (PuO2/UO2). We will show analyses that demonstrate that a Silicon Carbide (SiC) IMF offers improved performance capabilities as a fuel form for Pu recycle and disposition. The reason that UF is reviewing various materials to serve as an inert matrix fuel is that an IMF fuel form can offer greatly reduced Pu and transuranic isotope (TRU) production and also improved thermal performance characteristics. Our studies showed that the Pu content is reduced by an order of magnitude while centerline fuel temperatures are reduced approximately 380 degrees centigrade compared to MOX. These reduced temperatures result in reduced stored heat and thermal stresses in the pellet. The reduced stored heat reduces the consequences of the loss of coolant accident, while the reduced temperatures and thermal stresses yield greatly improved fuel performance. Silicon Carbide is not new to the nuclear industry, being a basic fuel material in gas cooled reactors.
Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 5
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Book Description
The University of Florida has underway an ongoing research program to validate the economic, operational and performance benefits of developing an inert matrix fuel (IMF) for the disposition of the U.S. weapons plutonium (Pu) and for the recycle of reprocessed Pu. The current fuel form of choice for Pu disposition for the Department of Energy is as a mixed oxide (MOX) (PuO2/UO2). We will show analyses that demonstrate that a Silicon Carbide (SiC) IMF offers improved performance capabilities as a fuel form for Pu recycle and disposition. The reason that UF is reviewing various materials to serve as an inert matrix fuel is that an IMF fuel form can offer greatly reduced Pu and transuranic isotope (TRU) production and also improved thermal performance characteristics. Our studies showed that the Pu content is reduced by an order of magnitude while centerline fuel temperatures are reduced approximately 380 degrees centigrade compared to MOX. These reduced temperatures result in reduced stored heat and thermal stresses in the pellet. The reduced stored heat reduces the consequences of the loss of coolant accident, while the reduced temperatures and thermal stresses yield greatly improved fuel performance. Silicon Carbide is not new to the nuclear industry, being a basic fuel material in gas cooled reactors.
Author: International Atomic Energy Agency
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 120
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Book Description
Provides a critical review of the thorium fuel cycle: potential benefits and challenges in the thorium fuel cycle, mainly based on the latest developments at the front end of the fuel cycle, applying thorium fuel cycle options, and at the back end of the thorium fuel cycle.
Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 7
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Book Description
Depletion calculations show that advanced oxide (AOX) fuels can be used in existing light water reactors (LWRs) to achieve and maintain virtually any desired level of US (US) reactor-grade plutonium (R-Pu) inventory. AOX fuels are composed of a neutronically inert matrix loaded with R-Pu and erbium. A 1/2 core load of 100% nonfertile, 7w% R-Pu AOX and 3.9 w% UO2 has a net total plutonium ({sup TOT}Pu) destruction rate of 310 kg/yr. The 20% residual {sup TOT}Pu in discharged AOX contains> 55% 242Pu making it unattractive for nuclear explosive use. A three-phase fuel-cycle development program sequentially loading 60 LWRs with 100% mixed oxide, 50% AOX with a nonfertile component displacing only some of the 238U, and 50% AOX, which is 100% nonfertile, could reduce the US plutonium inventory to near zero by 2050.
Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :
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Book Description
The urgency for addressing repository impacts has grown in the past few years as a result of Spent Nuclear Fuel (SNF) accumulation from commercial nuclear power plants. One path that has been explored by many is to eliminate the transuranic (TRU) inventory from the SNF, thus reducing the need for additional long term repository storage sites. One strategy for achieving this is to burn the separated TRU elements in the currently operating U.S. Light Water Reactor (LWR) fleet. Many studies have explored the viability of this strategy by loading a percentage of LWR cores with TRU in the form of either Mixed Oxide (MOX) fuels or Inert Matrix Fuels (IMF). A task was undertaken at INL to establish specific technical capabilities to perform neutronics analyses in order to further assess several key issues related to the viability of thermal recycling. The initial computational study reported here is focused on direct thermal recycling of IMF fuels in a heterogeneous Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) bundle design containing Plutonium, Neptunium, Americium, and Curium (IMF-PuNpAmCm) in a multi-pass strategy using legacy 5 year cooled LWR SNF. In addition to this initial high-priority analysis, three other alternate analyses with different TRU vectors in IMF pins were performed. These analyses provide comparison of direct thermal recycling of PuNpAmCmCf, PuNpAm, PuNp, and Pu. The results of this infinite lattice assembly-wise study using SCALE 5.1 indicate that it may be feasible to recycle TRU in this manner using an otherwise typical PWR assembly without violating peaking factor limits.
Author: E. A. Hoffman
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :
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Book Description
Various recycle strategies have been proposed to manage the inventory of transuranics in commercial spent nuclear fuel (CSNF), with a particular goal of increasing the loading capacity of spent fuel and reprocessing wastes in the Yucca Mountain repository. Transuranic recycling in commercial LWRs can be seen as a viable means of slowing the accumulation of transuranics in the nationwide CSNF stockpile. Furthermore, this type of approach is an important first step in demonstrating the benefits of a nuclear fuel cycle which incorporates recycling, such as envisioned for Generation-IV reactor systems under development. Recycling strategies of this sort are not proposed as an attempt to eliminate the need of a geologic nuclear waste repository, but as a means to enhance the usefulness of the repository currently under construction in the U.S., perhaps circumventing the need for a second facility. A US-DOE Secretarial recommendation on the need for the construction of a second geologic repository is required by 2010. The Advanced Fuel Cycle Initiative (AFCI) has supported a breadth of work to evaluate the ideal transuranic separation and recycle strategy. Previous AFCI studies of LWR-based transmutation have considered the benefits of homogeneously recycling plutonium, plutonium and neptunium, and all transuranic (TRU) species. A study of a wide range of hypothetical separation schemes (Pu, Pu+Np, Pu+Np+Am, etc.) with multi-recycling has also been performed, focusing on the proliferation resistance of the various fuel cycles and fuel handling issues. The direct recycle of the recovered TRU from spent inert-matrix fuel (IMF) into new IMF was found to be quite limited due to the rapid burndown of the fissile plutonium. The IMF is very effective at destroying the fissile fraction of the TRU with destruction rates in excess of 80% of the fissile material without recycling the IMF. Blending strategies have been proposed to mitigate the rapid burndown of the fissile plutonium by mixing high fissile feed from new sources (e.g., spent UO{sub 2} pins) with the low fissile material recovered from the recycled transmutation fuel. The blending of the fuels is anticipated to aid the multi-recycle of the transuranics. A systematic study of blending strategies (for both IMF and MOX) has been initiated and is currently ongoing. This work extends the previous study that considered separation strategies for plutonium, neptunium, and americium recycling in MOX, CORAIL, and IMF{sub 6} by considering blending schemes and approach to continuous recycle. Plutonium and americium are recycled in order to reduce the intermediate term (100 to 1500 years after spent fuel irradiation) decay heat of the disposed waste which accounts for the bulk of the repository heating. Since the long-term released dose from the repository is dominated by neptunium, it is sensible to consume it by transmutation in a reactor, as well. Curium accounts for {approx}0.6% of the TRU mass in spent UO{sub 2} fuel ({approx}0.008% of the heavy metal), but does constitute significantly higher fractions in spent transmutation fuels. This initial evaluation will focus on blending strategies for the multirecycling of Pu+Np+Am. The impact of curium recycle will be investigated as part of the systematic study of blending strategies. The initial study focuses on understanding a simple strategy for IMF recycle and blending. More complex strategies (i.e., heterogeneous assemblies) will be evaluated later in the year, including enriched uranium support options. Currently, a preliminary study of a serial blending strategy has been performed in order to evaluate the impact of blending on the performance of the IMF recycle and to evaluate the potential for continuous or infinite recycle. The continuous recycle of Pu+Np+Am in IMF would allow for complete destruction of all heat contributing actinides in the same LWRs that originally produced them. The only transuranics sent to the repository would be those lost in reprocessing and curium if it is not eventually recycled.
Author: IAEA
Publisher: International Atomic Energy Agency
ISBN: 9201024215
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 67
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Book Description
This publication aims to outline credible technical options for managing separated plutonium. There is no attempt to rank or rate any of the options, instead the intent is to inform the reader of the technical merits of the various options and the state of their development. It is primarily focused on Member States that have adopted a closed fuel cycle policy but can also be of value to other Member States, specifically their decision makers and other stakeholders involved in potential future nuclear fuel cycles, by informing them on life cycle options and energy policy.
