Fabrication of Fuel and Recycling of Minor Actinides in Fast Reactors

2010 ◽  
Vol 73 ◽  
pp. 97-103
Author(s):  
Joseph Somers
Keyword(s):  
Minor Actinides ◽  
Heterogeneous Reactor ◽  
Fast Reactors ◽  
Processing Methods ◽  
Inert Matrix Fuel ◽  
Inert Matrix ◽  
Neutron Transmutation

Fuels for future fast reactors will not only produce energy, but they must also actively contribute to the minimisation of long lived wastes produced by these, and other reactor systems. The fuels must incorporate minor actinides (MA = Np, Am, Cm) for neutron transmutation into short lived isotopes. Within Europe oxide fuels are favoured. Transmutation can be considered in homogeneous or heterogeneous reactor recycle modes (i.e. in fuels or targets, respectively). Fabrication of such fuels can be made by advanced liquid processing methods, enabling property determination and screening irradiation experiments. This paper will describe these fabrication processes, and discuss properties and fuel irradiation experiments made to date. Both fertile and inert matrix fuel types are considered.

Zirconia Inert Matrix Fuel for Plutonium and Minor Actinides Management in Reactors and as an Ultimate Waste Form

2008 ◽  
Vol 1104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claude Degueldre ◽  
Wolfgang Wiesenack
Keyword(s):  
Near Field ◽  
Fission Products ◽  
Minor Actinides ◽  
Spent Fuel ◽  
Geological Disposal ◽  
Inert Matrix Fuel ◽  
Inert Matrix ◽  
Fuel Pellets ◽  
Reducing Conditions ◽  
Deep Geological Disposal

AbstractA plutonia stabilised zirconia doped with yttria and erbia has been selected as inert matrix fuel (IMF) at PSI. The results of experimental irradiation tests on yttria-stabilised zirconia doped with plutonia and erbia pellets in the Halden research reactor as well as a study of zirconia solubility are presented. Zirconia must be stabilised by yttria to form a solid solution such as MAz(Y,Er)yPuxZr1-yO2-ζ where minor actinides (MA) oxides are also soluble. (Er,Y,Pu,Zr)O2-ζ (with Pu containing 5% Am) was successfully prepared at PSI and irradiated in the Halden reactor. Emphasis is given on the zirconia-IMF properties under in-pile irradiation, on the fuel material centre temperatures and on the fission gas release. The retention of fission products in zirconia may be stronger at similar temperature, compared to UO2. The outstanding behaviour of plutonia-zirconia inert matrix fuel is compared to the classical (U,Pu)O2 fuels. The properties of the spent fuel pellets are presented focusing on the once through strategy. For this strategy, low solubility of the inert matrix is required for geological disposal. This parameter was studied in detail for a range of solutions corresponding to groundwater under near field conditions. Under these conditions the IMF solubility is about 109 times smaller than glass, several orders of magnitude lower than UO2 in oxidising conditions (Yucca Mountain) and comparable in reducing conditions, which makes the zirconia material very attractive for deep geological disposal. The behaviour of plutonia-zirconia inert matrix fuel is discussed within a burn and bury strategy.

Metallic inert matrix fuel concept for minor actinides incineration to achieve ultra-high burn-up

2014 ◽  
Vol 452 (1-3) ◽  
pp. 378-381 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Lipkina ◽  
A. Savchenko ◽  
M. Skupov ◽  
A. Glushenkov ◽  
A. Vatulin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Minor Actinides ◽  
Inert Matrix Fuel ◽  
Inert Matrix

scholarly journals Wastes Management Through Transmutation in an ADS Reactor

2008 ◽  
Vol 2008 ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara Calgaro ◽  
Barbara Vezzoni ◽  
Nicola Cerullo ◽  
Giuseppe Forasassi ◽  
Bernard Verboomen
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Fuel ◽  
Fuel Cycle ◽  
Nuclear Fuel Cycle ◽  
Industrial Scale ◽  
Minor Actinides ◽  
Preliminary Evaluation ◽  
Inert Matrix Fuel ◽  
Inert Matrix ◽  
Core Content ◽  
Main Challenge

The main challenge in nuclear fuel cycle closure is the reduction of the potential radiotoxicity, or of the time in which that possible hazard really exists. Probably, the transmutation of minor actinides with fast fission processes is the most effective answer. This work, performed in (Belgium) and DIMNP Pisa University, is focused on preliminary evaluation of industrial scale ADS (400 MWth, 2.5 mA) burning capability. An inert matrix fuel of minor actinides, 50% vol. MgO and 50% vol. (Pu,Np,Am,Cm), core content, with 150 GWd/ton discharge burn up, is used. The calculations were performed using ALEPH-1.1.2, MCNPX-2.5.0, and ORIGEN2.2. codes.

Dissolution behavior of MgO based inert matrix fuel for the transmutation of minor actinides

2018 ◽  
Vol 505 ◽  
pp. 94-104
Author(s):  
E.L. Mühr-Ebert ◽  
E. Lichte ◽  
A. Bukaemskiy ◽  
S. Finkeldei ◽  
M. Klinkenberg ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dissolution Behavior ◽  
Minor Actinides ◽  
Inert Matrix Fuel ◽  
Inert Matrix

On the basic properties of an iron-based simulated cermet inert matrix fuel, synthesized by a dry route in oxidizing conditions

2006 ◽  
Vol 48 (6) ◽  
pp. 590-598 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Kamel ◽  
H. Aït-Amar ◽  
Z. Kamel ◽  
N. Souami ◽  
S. Telmoune ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Inert Matrix Fuel ◽  
Basic Properties ◽  
Inert Matrix ◽  
Iron Based

Behaviour of CS and I In Zirconia Based Fuel

1998 ◽  
Vol 540 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Degueldre ◽  
M. Pouchon ◽  
M. Doebli ◽  
G. Ledergerber
Keyword(s):  
Incident Energy ◽  
Nuclear Reactors ◽  
Fission Products ◽  
Concentration Profiles ◽  
Reactor Safety ◽  
Inert Matrix Fuel ◽  
Light Water ◽  
Inert Matrix ◽  
Stepwise Heating ◽  
Implantation Depth

AbstractA zirconia based ceramic is foreseen as an inert matrix fuel for burning excess plutonium in light water nuclear reactors. For reactor safety reasons the behaviour of volatile fission products such as cesium and iodine must be studied since a retention of fission products is favourable for licensing the studied inert matrix fuel. In this study, implantation of Cs and I was performed into polycrystalline (Zr0.85, Y0.15)O1.925 samples. The implantation depth was selected on the basis of the ability to observe by Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy (RBS) the behaviour of Cs and I after treatment. With a 1 MeV incident energy, the ions are implanted at a depth of 200 nm as predicted by TRIM. After implantations full quantification of I and Cs concentration profiles was performed by RBS. The implantation profiles are measured as a function of sample temperature during stepwise heating programs. It is interesting to observe retention of Cs and I at relatively high temperature (e.g. for 2 h, below 900 K for Cs and below 1400 K for I). This behaviour is likely to be due to the size and interactions of these species in the zirconia solid solution.

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