Preliminary Safety Studies for Conventional Spent Fuel, MOX, and Vitrified High-Level Waste

1997 ◽  
Vol 506 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.W. Schneider ◽  
P. Zuidema ◽  
P.A. Smith ◽  
P. Gribi ◽  
M. Hugi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Power Generation ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Electricity Production ◽  
High Level Waste ◽  
Spent Fuel ◽  
Nuclear Power Generation ◽  
Waste Streams ◽  
Management Concepts ◽  
Safety Studies ◽  
High Level

This paper discusses the results of post-closure safety studies for two different waste streams that, according to current Swiss waste-management concepts, may be co-disposed in a single deep geological repository. The waste streams are:• directly disposed spent UO2 and mixed-oxide (MOX) fuel• vitrified high-level waste from the reprocessing of spent fuelThe inventories are based on a consideration of the anticipated arisings from nuclear power generation in Switzerland. A part (at least) of these arisings will be reprocessed, with the resultant vitrified high-level waste and long-lived intermediate-level waste returned to Switzerland. The Swiss electricity utilities have placed contracts with BNFL (UK) and COGEMA (France) for the reprocessing of about one third of the total arisings of spent fuel from nuclear power generation, assuming an electricity production scenario of 120 GWa(e). The decision as to whether to reprocess the remainder is currently left open, implying that up to two thirds of the arisings could be in the form of unreprocessed spent fuel for direct disposal. For the purposes of the present study, however, it is assumed that the arisings from the full 120 GWa scenario will be either directly disposed or reprocessed.

Characteristics and quantities of radioactive wastes

1986 ◽  
Vol 319 (1545) ◽  
pp. 5-16 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Small Volume ◽  
Fuel Cycle ◽  
Residual Activity ◽  
Fission Products ◽  
High Level Waste ◽  
Spent Fuel ◽  
Fuel Cladding ◽  
Waste Streams ◽  
High Level

Estimates are given of the total quantities of radioactivity, and of the contribution from different isotopes to this total, arising in the wastes from civil nuclear power generation; the figures are normalized to 1 GW (e) y of power production. The intensity of the heat and y-radiation emitted by the spent fuel has been calculated, and their decrease as the radioactivity decays. Reprocessing the spent fuel results in 95% or more of the fission products and higher actinides being concentrated in a small volume of high-level, heat-emitting waste. The total decay curve of unreprocessed spent fuel or of the separated high-level waste is dominated by the decay of some fission products for a few hundred years and then by the decay of some actinide isotopes for some tens of thousands of years. The residual activity is compared with that of the original uranium ore. Some of the long-lived activity will appear in other waste streams, particularly on the fuel cladding, and the volumes and activities of these wastes arising in this country are recorded. The long-lived activity arising from reactor decommissioning will be small compared with the annual arisings from the fuel cycle.

Design, Loading, Transport and Storage Experience of CASTOR® Casks for Vitrified High Level Waste

2003 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andre´ Voßnacke ◽  
Wilhelm Graf ◽  
Roland Hu¨ggenberg ◽  
Astrid Gisbertz
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Power ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Nuclear Power Plants ◽  
High Level Waste ◽  
Spent Fuel ◽  
Highly Active ◽  
Dry Conditions ◽  
Intermediate Storage ◽  
High Level

The revised German Atomic Act together with the Agreement between the German Government and the German Utilities of June 11, 2001 form new boundary conditions that considerably influence spent fuel strategies by stipulation of lifetime limitations to nuclear power plants and termination of reprocessing. The contractually agreed return of reprocessing residues comprises some 156 casks containing vitrified highly active waste, the so-called HAW or glass canisters, coming form irradiated nuclear fuel assemblies to be shipped from COGEMA, France and BNFL, UK to Germany presumably until 2011. Several hundred casks with compacted residues and other waste will follow. The transports are scheduled presumably beyond 2020. The central interim storage facilities in Ahaus and Gorleben, formerly intended to accumulate up to 8,000 t of heavy metal (HM) of spent fuel from German nuclear power plants, offer sufficient capacity to receive the totality of residues to be returned from reprocessing abroad. GNB has developed, tested, licensed, fabricated, loaded, transported and stored a large number of casks for spent fuel and is one of the world leaders for delivering spent fuel and high level waste casks. Long-term intermediate storage of spent fuel is carried out under dry conditions using these casks that are licensed for transport as well as for storage. Standardized high performance casks such as the types CASTOR® HAW 20/28 CG, CASTOR® V/19 and CASTOR® V/52 meet the needs of most nuclear power plants in Germany. Up to now GNS has co-ordinated the loading and transport of 27 casks loaded with 28 canisters each from COGEMA back to Germany for storage in Gorleben for up to 40 years. In all but one case the cask type CASTOR® HAW 20/28 CG has been used.

The Issue of Underground Depositing of High Radioactive Waste

2016 ◽  
Vol 722 ◽  
pp. 59-65
Author(s):  
Markéta Kočová ◽  
Zdeňka Říhová ◽  
Jan Zatloukal
Keyword(s):  
Radioactive Waste ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
High Level Waste ◽  
Spent Fuel ◽  
High Level Radioactive Waste ◽  
Medium Level ◽  
Long Time ◽  
High Level ◽  
Fuel Elements

Nowadays manipulation and depositing of high-level radioactive waste has become the most important issue, which needs to be solved. High-level radioactive waste consists mainly of spent fuel elements from nuclear power plants, which cannot be deposited for long time in surface repositories in the same way as it is possible in case of low and medium level radioactive waste. The most effective and safe solution in longer time horizon seems to be deep geological repository of high level waste. In this process of deposition, large amount of specific conditions needs to be taken into account while designing the whole underground complex, because the materials and structures must fulfil all necessary requirements. Then adequate safety will be ensured.

German Nuclear High-Level Waste Program - Key Research Areas

1985 ◽  
Vol 50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helmut Geipel
Keyword(s):  
Mine Safety ◽  
High Level Waste ◽  
Salt Mine ◽  
Federal Republic Of Germany ◽  
Spent Fuel ◽  
Research Areas ◽  
The Status ◽  
Safety Studies ◽  
Computer Codes ◽  
High Level

AbstractBased on more than 10 years of research and development, vitrification and high level waste disposal have reached the status of demonstration projects in the Federal Republic of Germany: hot operation of the PAMELA vitrification plant is scheduled for october 1985, and a disposal test with 30 canisters of high active glass is being prepared in the ASSE salt mine. Safety studies for a model repository led to a good understanding of the relevant phenomena; they will continue using sitespezific parameters. Modelling and computer codes will be further developed in international cooperation. In addition to reprocessing, the technology for direct disposal of spent fuel will be developed and demonstrated in the next years.

scholarly journals Spent Fuel Management—A User’s Perspective: Summary of Panel Discussions and Findings From WM’07 in Tucson, Arizona

2007 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dennis L. Berry ◽  
Bart R. Callan
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Fuel Cycle ◽  
High Level Waste ◽  
Spent Fuel ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
International Panel ◽  
Global Partnership ◽  
Take Back ◽  
High Level ◽  
Prospective User

A global partnership between nuclear energy supplier nations and user nations could enable the safe and secure expansion of nuclear power throughout the world. Although it is likely that supplier nations and their industries would be anxious to sell reactors and fuel services as part of this partnership, their commitment to close the fuel cycle (i.e., permanently take back fuel and high-level waste) remains unclear. At the 2007 Waste Management Symposia in Tucson, Arizona, USA, a distinguished international panel explored fuel take back and waste disposal from the perspective of current and prospective user nations. This paper reports on the findings of that panel and presents a path for policy makers to move forward with the partnership vision.

scholarly journals Needs of countries with longer timescale for deep geological repository implementation

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 22
Author(s):  
Bálint Nős
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
High Level Waste ◽  
Deep Geological Repository ◽  
Spent Fuel ◽  
International Consensus ◽  
Geological Disposal ◽  
Geological Repository ◽  
Deep Geological Disposal ◽  
High Level

Countries operating nuclear power plants have to deal with the tasks connected to spent fuel and high-level radioactive waste management. There is international consensus that, at this time, deep geological disposal represents the safest and most sustainable option as the end point of the management of high-level waste and spent fuel considered as waste. There are countries with longer timescale for deep geological repository (DGR) implementation, meaning that the planned date of commissioning of their respective DGRs is around 2060. For these countries cooperation, knowledge transfer, participation in RD&D programmes (like EURAD) and adaptation of good international practice could help in implementing their own programmes. In the paper the challenges and needs of a country with longer implementation timescale for DGR will be introduced through the example of Hungary.

Exploring the perception of Nigerians towards nuclear power generation

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Daniel R. E. Ewim ◽  
Stephen S. Oyewobi ◽  
Michael O. Dioha ◽  
Chibuike E. Daraojimba ◽  
Suzzie O. Oyakhire ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Power Generation ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Nuclear Power Generation

NUCLEAR WASTE MANAGEMENT IN SPAIN: ANALYSIS OF THE CURRENT SITUATION AND ALTERNATIVE STRATEGIES

10.6036/10156 ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 96 (4) ◽  
pp. 355-358
Author(s):  
Pablo Fernández Arias ◽  
DIEGO VERGARA RODRIGUEZ
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Waste ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Nuclear Power Plants ◽  
Spent Fuel ◽  
Nuclear Waste Storage ◽  
Alternative Strategies ◽  
Temporary Storage ◽  
Long Term Storage ◽  
High Level

Centralized Temporary Storage Facility (CTS) is an industrial facility designed to store spent fuel (SF) and high level radioactive waste (HLW) generated at Spanish nuclear power plants (NPP) in a single location. At the end of 2011, the Spanish Government approved the installation of the CTS in the municipality of Villar de Cañas in Cuenca. This approval was the outcome of a long process of technical studies and political decisions that were always surrounded by great social rejection. After years of confrontations between the different political levels, with hardly any progress in its construction, this infrastructure of national importance seems to have been definitively postponed. The present research analyzes the management strategy of SF and HLW in Spain, as well as the alternative strategies proposed, taking into account the current schedule foreseen for the closure of the Spanish NPPs. In view of the results obtained, it is difficult to affirm that the CTS will be available in 2028, with the possibility that its implementation may be delayed to 2032, or even that it may never happen, making it necessary to adopt an alternative strategy for the management of GC and ARAR in Spain. Among the different alternatives, the permanence of the current Individualized Temporary Stores (ITS) as a long-term storage strategy stands out, and even the possibility of building several distributed temporary storage facilities (DTS) in which to store the SF and HLW from several Spanish NPP. Keywords: nuclear waste, storage, nuclear power plants.

TRU Recycling Options for Environmentally Friendly and Proliferation-Resistant Nuclear Fuel Cycle of FBR

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sidik Permana ◽  
Mitsutoshi Suzuki
Keyword(s):  
High Performance ◽  
Fuel Cycle ◽  
Operation Time ◽  
Nuclear Nonproliferation ◽  
High Level Waste ◽  
Minor Actinide ◽  
Spent Fuel ◽  
Closed Fuel Cycle ◽  
The Core ◽  
High Level

The embodied challenges for introducing closed fuel cycle are utilizing advanced fuel reprocessing and fabrication facilities as well as nuclear nonproliferation aspect. Optimization target of advanced reactor design should be maintained properly to obtain high performance of safety, fuel breeding and reducing some long-lived and high level radioactivity of spent fuel by closed fuel cycle options. In this paper, the contribution of loading trans-uranium to the core performance, fuel production, and reduction of minor actinide in high level waste (HLW) have been investigated during reactor operation of large fast breeder reactor (FBR). Excess reactivity can be reduced by loading some minor actinide in the core which affect to the increase of fuel breeding capability, however, some small reduction values of breeding capability are obtained when minor actinides are loaded in the blanket regions. As a total composition, MA compositions are reduced by increasing operation time. Relatively smaller reduction value was obtained at end of operation by blanket regions (9%) than core regions (15%). In addition, adopting closed cycle of MA obtains better intrinsic aspect of nuclear nonproliferation based on the increase of even mass plutonium in the isotopic plutonium composition.

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