Recycling management including transportation experience
The nuclear industry, at least in advanced countries such as Japan, France and other European countries, has developed for years a global strategy of fuel utilization which implies an extensive recycling and reuse of spent fuel. Such recycling strategies are now increasingly required from the industry in general by the various Governments and international organizations. Nuclear fuel recycling and waste management are the two faces of the same policy the closed fuel cycle, whereby reprocessing of spent fuel makes available for recycling the energetic contents uranium and plutonium, while segregating the real waste in categories for their specific treatment, conditioning, storage, transportation and final disposal. Plutonium recycling is performed through the fabrication of the so-called MOX fuel, where fissile plutonium replaces the U 235 isotope used in UO{sub 2} fuel. The international trade of nuclear materials and services, under close control of IAEA and other national and international organizations, has led to the circulation of materials between the producers of uranium and enrichment fuel, fabrication, reprocessing and recycling services, and the customers worldwide. The industrial transport experience now accumulated shows an excellent record in terms of safety and quality. For instance, COGEMA manages every year, either directly or through its subsidiaries and affiliates, an average of 350 road, rail and sea shipments of spent fuel to its La Hague reprocessing facility. Plutonium and MOX fuel are also transported since several years in safe conditions.
- OSTI ID:
- 182104
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-940501--
- Journal Information:
- Transactions of the American Nuclear Society, Journal Name: Transactions of the American Nuclear Society Journal Issue: Suppl.1 Vol. 70; ISSN 0003-018X; ISSN TANSAO
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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