Synergistic Relationships of Advanced Nuclear Fuel Cycles

Jordan WeaverTechnology Report Presentation

Obligatory Graphic of Fuel CycleUranium Mining,Milling, Refining

Ore Tailings

Yellowcake(U3O8)

Conversion

UF6

(gas)

Enrichment

DepletedUranium

EnrichedUO2

FuelFabrication

FuelAssemblies

Reactor

e-

IrradiatedFuel

Onsite CoolingStorageTransportation

Reprocessing

Disposal

Pu and (maybe)other actinides

High Level

Waste

(HLW)

Vitrification

VitrifiedHLW

Fuel Cycles are a Hot Topic Right Now. Why?

If new reactor designs prove as safe as hoped and if progress is made on waste disposal, proliferation prevention, and protection against terrorism, nuclear power will deserve a chance to compete in the market against other sources of power that do not emit CO2. - Boston Globe, June 16, 2005

Now that the United States has removed the ban on recycling used fuel, it will be possible to use that energy and to greatly reduce the amount of waste that needs treatment and disposal. Last month, Japan joined France, Britain and Russia in the nuclear-fuel-recycling business. The United States will not be far behind - Patrick Moore, Greenpeace Founder, in the Washington Post, April 16, 2006

But there are arguments [against nuclear power] that do stand up. The most fundamental environmental principle … is that you don't make a new mess until you have cleared up the old one. To start building a new generation of nuclear power stations before we know what to do with the waste produced by existing plants is grotesquely irresponsible. The government's advisers have determined only that it should be buried. No one yet knows where, how or at what cost. - The Manchester Guardian [UK], July 11, 2006

Consider these arguments for and against nuclear power --

--- The concerns raised are inevitably tied up with the fuel cycle.

Motivation

One possible aspect of an advanced fuel cycle lies in the use of new reactor designs that will help to minimize the amount of waste that will be disposed of as well as produce more energy (and more fuel).

Generic Sodium-Cooled Fast Reactor

Fast Reactor Physics

Typical PWR Neutron Flux Fast Na-Cooled Reactor Flux

Fast Reactor Technology

Breeder Reactors• During operation, produces

more fuel than it consumes.• Uses U-238 in a breeding

blanket to produce plutonium that can eventually be used as fuel.

• To achieve this, fast neutron spectrum is needed.

Breeder Reactor Diagram

Modeling FBR Phase-In

• Setup a network of Light-Water Reactors as well as Fast Breeder Reactors. Recycle spent fuel from LWR fleet to obtain plutonium. Use Pu as fuel in FBR to breed more fuel.

• One cycle is 10 years and fuel bred in FBR cannot be used until following cycle.

• Normalize overall capacity to 100 GWt to phase-out LWR fleet.

First Decade Flow Chart

Next Decade

Concentration of Spent Fuel

• Fuel discharge coefficients obtained from ORIGEN-ARP Depletion Code.

Driver Fuel76.44% U23.56% Pu0.0% MA

Na Cooled FRBU = 140 MWd/kg

Driver Fuel68.41% U18.41% Pu0.27% MA12.91% FP

Blanket Fuel100.0% U0.0% Pu0.0% MA

Blanket Fuel97.50% U1.70% Pu0.00% MA0.80% FP

Breeding Blanket4.55 kg Blanket

per kg Driver

Results

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 700

20

40

60

80

100

120Power Split

FBR Startup Power LWR Power FBR Reload Power

Years

Pow

er (G

Wt)

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 700

50

100

150

200

250

300Pu Inventory

LWR + FBR LWR

Years

Pu m

ass (

kg)

Conclusions

• By having reprocessing infrastructures in place, fuel cycles can be designed to minimize waste as well as conserve fuel resources while inherently being proliferation-conscious.

• Multi-national approaches can benefit by utilizing regional resources and sharing the burden of nuclear waste.

References• 109th U.S.C. "Energy Policy Act." August 2005.• Department of Energy. Advanced Fuel Cycle Initiative. 2005. Nov 2008

<http://www.ne.doe.gov/AFCI/neAFCI.html>.• Knief, Ronald Allen. Nuclear Engineering: Theory and Technology of Commercial

Nuclear Power. 2nd. Washington: Taylor & Francis, 1992.• "ORIGEN-ARP 5.1." Isotopic Depletion and Decay Analysis System. Oak Ridge National

Laboratory, 2007.• Salvatores, M. "Improved Resources Utilisation, Waste Minimisation and Proliferation

Resistance in a Regional Context." 9th NEA Information Exchange on Actinide and Fission Product P&T. 2006.

• Wikipedia. Fast breeder reactor. November 2008. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fast_breeder>.

• —. Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository. 16 November 2008. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yucca_Mountain>.

• World Nuclear Association. Nuclear Power in the USA. October 2008. 21 November 2008 <http://www.world-nuclear.org>.