Formal transfer potentials of strontium and uranyl ions at water|1,2-dichloroethane interfaces

2012 ◽  
Vol 90 (10) ◽  
pp. 836-842 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tom J. Stockmann ◽  
Anne-Marie Montgomery ◽  
Zhifeng Ding
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Fuel ◽  
Metal Ion ◽  
Spent Nuclear Fuel ◽  
Fuel Cycle ◽  
Extraction Process ◽  
Nuclear Industry ◽  
Ion Transfer ◽  
Faradaic Current ◽  
Facilitated Ion Transfer ◽  
Transfer Potential

The extraction of dioxouranium (UO22+), or uranyl, and strontium (Sr2+) ions from spent nuclear fuel (SNF), often through a biphasic (aqueous / organic solvent) ligand assisted process, is critical for the implementation of a closed-loop nuclear fuel cycle whereby SNF is diverted from permanent geological disposal and the life of the nuclear industry is extended. Deeper understanding of the biphasic extraction process can be achieved through facile electrochemical experiments at a liquid|liquid interface. Of primary importance to developing a quantitative analysis of the ligand assisted or facilitated ion transfer (FIT) (i.e., transfer through interfacial complexation) case is to first quantify the free or simple metal IT; that is the amount of applied potential required to “push” ions across the water|organic interface. This value is, in fact, a constant referred to as the formal transfer potential ([Formula: see text]), which is unique to each metal ion in the biphasic system. Because of their hydrophilicity they often limit the polarizable potential window. Values for [Formula: see text], for the most part, have only been estimated. With a microinterface housed at the tip of a 25 µm capillary it is possible to reduce the Faradaic current to observe their transfer. Herein is described the quantification of [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] or the formal transfer potentials for dioxouranium and strontium ions, respectively.

Transport of MOX Fuel: A Continuous Challenge

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Je´roˆme Galtier
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Fuel ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Spent Nuclear Fuel ◽  
Fuel Cycle ◽  
Nuclear Industry ◽  
Spent Fuel ◽  
Radioactive Materials ◽  
Mox Fuel ◽  
Increasing Demand

For 45 years TN International has been involved in the radioactive materials transportation field. Since the beginning the spent nuclear fuel transportation has been its core business. During all these years TN International, now part of AREVA, has been able to anticipate and fulfill the needs for new transport or storage casks designed to fit the nuclear industry evolutions. A whole fleet of casks able to transport all the materials of the nuclear fuel cycle has been developed. In this presentation we will focus on the casks used to transport the fresh and used MOX fuel. To transport the fresh MOX BWR and PWR fuel, TN International has developed two designs of casks: the MX 6 and the MX 8. These casks are and have been used to transport MOX fuel for French, German, Swiss and in a near future Japanese nuclear power plants. A complete set of baskets have been developed to optimize the loading in terms of integrated dose and also of course capacity. MOX used fuel has now its dedicated cask: the TN112 which certificate of approval has been obtained in July 2008. This cask is able to transport 12 MOX spent fuel elements with a short cooling time. The first loading of the cask has been performed in September 2008 in the EDF nuclear power plant of Saint-Laurent-des-Eaux. By its continuous involvement in the nuclear transportation field, TN International has been able to face the many challenges linked to the radioactive materials transportation especially talking of MOX fuel. TN International will also have to face the increasing demand linked to the nuclear renaissance.

Improving the Utilization of Nuclear Resources

2004 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jay F. Kunze ◽  
Gary M. Sandquist ◽  
D. Shannon Sentell
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Fuel ◽  
Nuclear Energy ◽  
Spent Nuclear Fuel ◽  
Fuel Cycle ◽  
Operating Cost ◽  
Wholesale Price ◽  
Economic Incentive ◽  
Nuclear Industry ◽  
Uranium Enrichment ◽  
Fuel Assemblies

Currently, less than one percent of the latent nuclear energy in uranium mined from the earth is eventually utilized. Nearly 90% of the uranium is discarded as “tails” from the enrichment process, and less than 7% of the nuclear energy in the fuel assemblies is actually “burned” before the assemblies are discarded for disposal in a permanent repository (i.e. Yucca Mountain). Unfortunately, there is no economic incentive in the commercial nuclear industry to remedy this wasteful utilization because the cost of the fuel assemblies consumed by the current reactor LWR fleet is only about 25% of the overall operating cost. Nuclear fuel cost represents less than 10% of the nominal average wholesale price of electricity. But, current uranium utilization and nuclear fuel economics ignore government expenditures on spent nuclear fuel disposal practices, the costs of storing both the weapons grade plutonium and the depleted uranium from the uranium enrichment operations, and time that would be required to deploy the types of reactors and facilities to effectively close the fuel cycle. This paper analyzes these issues and concludes that there must be no delay in completing needed R&D and beginning deployment of the essential new fast breeder and actinide burning reactors.

scholarly journals The Need for Integrating the Back End of the Nuclear Fuel Cycle in the United States of America

MRS Advances ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (19) ◽  
pp. 991-1003 ◽  
Author(s):  
Evaristo J. Bonano ◽  
Elena A. Kalinina ◽  
Peter N. Swift
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Nuclear Fuel ◽  
United States Of America ◽  
Spent Nuclear Fuel ◽  
Fuel Cycle ◽  
Nuclear Fuel Cycle ◽  
The United States ◽  
Spent Fuel ◽  
Dry Storage ◽  
The Us

ABSTRACTCurrent practice for commercial spent nuclear fuel management in the United States of America (US) includes storage of spent fuel in both pools and dry storage cask systems at nuclear power plants. Most storage pools are filled to their operational capacity, and management of the approximately 2,200 metric tons of spent fuel newly discharged each year requires transferring older and cooler fuel from pools into dry storage. In the absence of a repository that can accept spent fuel for permanent disposal, projections indicate that the US will have approximately 134,000 metric tons of spent fuel in dry storage by mid-century when the last plants in the current reactor fleet are decommissioned. Current designs for storage systems rely on large dual-purpose (storage and transportation) canisters that are not optimized for disposal. Various options exist in the US for improving integration of management practices across the entire back end of the nuclear fuel cycle.

scholarly journals RADIATION HYGIENE AND SAFETY OF NUCLEAR INDUSTRY

2019 ◽  
Vol 96 (9) ◽  
pp. 868-874
Author(s):  
O. A. Kochetkov ◽  
A. P. Panfilov ◽  
V. Yu. Usoltsev ◽  
Vladimir N. Klochkov ◽  
S. M. Shinkarev ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Radiation Protection ◽  
Nuclear Fuel ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Spent Nuclear Fuel ◽  
Regulatory System ◽  
Nuclear Industry ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Exposure Limits ◽  
The Public ◽  
Methodological Foundation

This article covers basic issues of the radiation protection in nuclear industry. It contains an overview of history of the national nuclear industry including the creation of industry-specific facilities (research centers, medical units etc.). Main stages of the creating the regulatory system for radiation protection, starting from the beginning of the industrial radiation protection, stages of introducing exposure limits and implementation of the radiation protection system in international documents are described. In 1996, for the first time, radiation protection requirements in Russia were documented in the form of the Federal Law 3-FZ of 09.01.1996 “Radiation Protection of the Public". A new stage of updating the global methodological foundation of radiation protection began in 2007. IRCP recommendations of 2007 moved from the legacy practice and intervention approach focused on the process to the approach based on characteristics of exposure situation. The evolvement of new technologies (specifically, in the field of reactor engineering and used nuclear fuel) in recent years requires a special focus on the safety of the personnel and the public. This stipulates the necessity of the appropriate radiation protection support of activities for the safe implementation of modern technologies. Handling of spent nuclear fuel and generated radioactive wastes, safe decommissioning of radiation hazardous facilities, radiation protection during operation of radiation facilities in nonstandard conditions are all the issues requiring specific examination. Regulatory and procedural documents on radiation protection of the personnel and the public during development and implementation of new technologies have been developed and approved as a result of long-term work of scientists and other professionals.

scholarly journals Elaboration of approach to nuclear energy systems assessment by criterion of sustainable development

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-33
Author(s):  
Vladimir I. Usanov ◽  
Stepan A. Kviatkovskii ◽  
Andrey A. Andrianov
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Nuclear Fuel ◽  
Nuclear Energy ◽  
Spent Nuclear Fuel ◽  
Fuel Cycle ◽  
Energy Systems ◽  
Nuclear Fuel Cycle ◽  
Time Interval ◽  
Subject Areas ◽  
Key Events

The paper describes the approach to the assessment of nuclear energy systems based on the integral indicator characterizing the level of their sustainability and results of comparative assessment of several nuclear energy system options incorporating different combinations of nuclear reactors and nuclear fuel cycle facilities. The nuclear energy systems are characterized by achievement of certain key events pertaining to the following six subject areas: economic performance, safety, availability of resources, waste handling, non-proliferation and public support. Achievement of certain key events is examined within the time interval until 2100, while the key events per se are assessed according to their contribution in the achievement of sustainable development goals. It was demonstrated that nuclear energy systems based on the once-through nuclear fuel cycle with thermal reactors and uranium oxide fuel do not score high according to the integral sustainable development indicator even in the case when the issue of isolation of spent nuclear fuel in geological formation is resolved. Gradual replacement of part of thermal reactors with fast reactors and closing the nuclear fuel cycle results in the achievement of evaluated characteristics in many subject areas, which are close to maximum requirements of sustainable development, and in the significant enhancement of the sustainability indicator.

Conceptual Study of Neutron Physics of Nuclear Fuel Cycle for Ceramic Fast Reactor

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xuesong Yan ◽  
Yaling Zhang ◽  
Yucui Gao ◽  
Lei Yang
Keyword(s):  
High Temperature ◽  
Nuclear Fuel ◽  
Fast Reactor ◽  
Spent Nuclear Fuel ◽  
Fuel Cycle ◽  
Fission Products ◽  
Nuclear Fuel Cycle ◽  
Purification Method ◽  
Neutron Physics ◽  
Conceptual Study

Abstract To make the nuclear fuel cycle more economical and convenient, as well as prevent nuclear proliferation, the conceptual study of a simple high-temperature dry reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) for a ceramic fast reactor is proposed in this paper. This simple high-temperature dry (HT-dry) reprocessing includes the Atomics International Reduction Oxidation (AIROX) process and purification method for rare-earth elements. After removing the part of fission products from SNF by a HT-dry reprocessing without fine separation, the remaining nuclides and some uranium are fabricated into fresh fuel which can be used back to the ceramic fast reactor. Based on the ceramic coolant fast reactor, we studied neutron physics of nuclear fuel cycle which consists operation of ceramic reactor, removing part of fission products from SNF and preparation of fresh fuels for many time. The parameters of the study include effective multiplication factor (Keff), beam density, and nuclide mass for different ways to remove the fission products from SNF. With the increase in burnup time, the trend of increasing 239Pu gradually slows down, and the trend of 235U gradually decreases and become balanced. For multiple removal of part of fission products in the nuclear fuel cycle, the higher the removal, the larger the initial Keff.

The Role of the Engineered Barrier System in Safety Cases for Geological Radioactive Waste Repositories: An NEA Initiative in Co-operation with the EC

2006 ◽  
Vol 932 ◽  
Author(s):  
David G. Bennett ◽  
Alan J. Hooper ◽  
Sylvie Voinis ◽  
Hiroyuki Umeki
Keyword(s):  
Radioactive Waste ◽  
Nuclear Fuel ◽  
Spent Nuclear Fuel ◽  
Fuel Cycle ◽  
Energy Agency ◽  
Radioactive Waste Repositories ◽  
Deep Underground ◽  
Safety Cases ◽  
Waste Repositories

Radioactive waste derives from all phases of the nuclear fuel cycle and from the use of radioactive materials in industrial, medical, military and research applications; all such wastes must be managed safely. The most hazardous and long-lived wastes, such as spent nuclear fuel and waste from nuclear fuel reprocessing, must be contained and isolated from humans and the environment for many thousands of years. Many Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) member countries are, therefore, researching plans for the management of long-lived radioactive waste in engineered facilities, or repositories, located deep underground in suitable geological formations.

scholarly journals A METHOD FOR STUDY OF NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE SCENARIOS WITH AN INTENSIVE ELECTRICITY PRODUCTION DECLINE IN A SHORT PERIOD

2021 ◽  
Vol 247 ◽  
pp. 13005
Author(s):  
Weifeng Zhou ◽  
Guillaume Krivtchik ◽  
Patrick Blaise
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Fuel ◽  
Energy Production ◽  
Fuel Cycle ◽  
Nuclear Fuel Cycle ◽  
Nuclear Industry ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Electricity Production ◽  
Strong Impact ◽  
Short Period ◽  
Scenario Model

Nuclear fuel cycle scenario study can be of benefit for decision-making in nuclear industry development. However, due to the lack of knowledge about the future, many scenario studies are subject to uncertainties. As a result, some parameters may be disrupted. Energy production of an entire nuclear fleet of interest is such a parameter. Its disruptive decline has a strong impact on the results of scenario studies. Resilience study against disruption of decline in energy production is required to anticipate possible failures of scenario studies. In such a resilience study, a large number of scenario trajectory simulations with different modes of decline are expected. It is too difficult to set the values of all scenario parameters in each trajectory manually. As a solution, a method is proposed in this paper to reduce the number of input parameters. A set of rules has been implemented as an intermediate layer between the decision-makers and the scenario code to drive the evolution of a nuclear fleet. In this case, a trajectory can be fully characterized by a few parameters. This method has been applied to a simplified academic nuclear fleet with two different modes of decline in energy production. The simulation results showed that the developed method is feasible. One should note that the scenario model in this paper is only used for academic purposes and does not correspond to any industrial strategy or policy.

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