Neutronics, reactor systems and fuels for transmutation

Conference · Sat Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 2006

OSTI ID:22039754

Warin, D ^[1]; Zaetta, A; Varaine, F; Grouiller, J P; Pillon, S ^[2]

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1. CEA, Nuclear Energy Directorate DEN, Saclay Center, 91191 Gif sur Yvette (France)
2. CEA, Nuclear Energy Directorate DEN, Cadarache Center, 13108 Saint Paul les Durance (France)

The purpose of transmutation is to reduce the mass and the radiotoxicity inventories of Minor Actinides and Long-Lived Fission Products of nuclear waste. In France, the law voted in 1991 for waste management has requested in particular the study of solutions and processes on the subject of transmutation. This review gives conclusions, at the end of the 15 year research period defined by the law, on the scientific and technical feasibility of transmutation based on neutronic aspects, reactor systems and possible fuels, from the CEA point of view. Important results are now available concerning the possibility of significantly reducing the quantity and the radiotoxicity of long-lived waste in association with a sustainable development of nuclear energy. As France has confirmed its long-term approach to nuclear energy, the most effective implementation of (recycling-)transmutation of Minor Actinides other than Plutonium and Uranium depends on the fast neutron GEN IV systems which are designed to recycle and manage their own actinides. The perspective to deploy a first series of such systems around 2040 supports the idea that progress is being made: the nuclear long-term waste would only be made up of Fission Products, whose radio toxicity considerably drops within a few hundred years. Future work will deal with pre industrial demonstrations of transmutation. (authors)

• Research Organization: American Nuclear Society, 555 North Kensington Avenue, La Grange Park, IL 60526 (United States)
• OSTI ID: 22039754
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS
CEA
FAST NEUTRONS
FISSION PRODUCTS
INVENTORIES
NUCLEAR FUELS
PLUTONIUM
POWER REACTORS
RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
TOXICITY
TRANSMUTATION
URANIUM
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES