Fuel cycle of BREST-1200 with non-proliferation of plutonium and equivalent disposal of radioactive waste

Conference · Wed Sep 15 00:00:00 EDT 1999

OSTI ID:23142148

Lopatkin, A. V.; Orlov, V. V. ^[1]

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1. Research and Development Institute of Power Engineering, 10100 Moscow, P.O.Box 788 (Russian Federation)

RDIPE has been working in the last decade on a concept of a fast lead-cooled reactor with UN-PUN fuel (BREST series), which relies on considerable domestic expertise in fast reactors and marine nuclear systems with PbBi coolant. The studies carried out so far show that these reactors can satisfy all of the above requirements. The reactor survives any credible accident without fuel failure, has full internal Pu reproduction in the core (CBR-1), does not use uranium blankets and transmutes minor actinides (MA) as a part of the main fuel. These features make it possible to simplify reprocessing technology to a not too deep fuel purification from fission products, with Pu extraction from spent fuel neither required nor possible. Fuel reprocessing should preferably be set up on NPP sites in order to avoid large shipments of highly radioactive and fissionable materials. BREST has several physical traits which make it proliferation-resistant: - Transmuted actinides present in the fuel and rough fuel cleaning from FPs (so that 1% to 10% of them remain in the fuel) facilitate fuel protection against thievery at all stages of the fuel cycle. - With full Pu reproduction in the core (CBR-1) there is no need to use uranium blankets, which precludes production of weapon-grade plutonium in these reactors and eliminates the need for Pu extraction. - With CBR-1, the fact that spent fuel composition is very close to that of fresh fuel, implies that Pu is neither extracted nor added to the fuel. To adjust fuel composition, another portion of ZWJ is added into the main fuel to compensate for the burnup of this component. - With small reactivity margin in the core, it is not possible to load into reactor fuel assemblies containing source material for Pu production. Small reactivity worth of FAs, its insignificant variation with burnup (CBR-1) and moderate power density in the core, afford quasi-continuous on-load refueling during low-load operation. With closed fuel cycle facilities arranged on NPP sites, it becomes possible to do without out-of-pile storages for spent and fresh fuel, which are most vulnerable to thefts. On-site fuel facilities eliminate the need for long-distance shipments of fuel and hence remove the danger of accidents and thievery associated with them. Surplus neutrons produced in a chain reaction in a fast reactor without uranium blanket and the high flux of fast neutrons, allow efficient transmutation of not only all actinides in the core but also long-lived fission products (I, Te) in lead blanket by leakage neutrons without detriment to the inherent safety of this reactor. The radiation balance between natural uranium used for energy production in a closed system and resultant long-lived high-level waste (LLHLW) can be attained based on the transmutation of actinides and long-lived fission products in BREST reactors, extraction and utilization of Sr and Cs, with HLW put in monitored storage for about 200 years before final disposal in order to lower their activity thousand-fold, approximately. It is assumed in the fuel cycle concept suggested that go to waste are 0.1% of uranium, plutonium, americium and curium, 100% of the other actinides, (1-5)% of cesium, technetium and iodine, and 100% of all other fission products. The paper reflects only the initial studies on the matter in question. But even at this early stage the studies point to the possibility of creating a proliferation-resistant fuel cycle for a large-scale nuclear power with radiation-equivalent radwaste disposal. Further studies are needed to choose fuel cycles for detailed elaboration.

• Research Organization: American Nuclear Society - ANS, 555 North Kensington Avenue, La Grange Park, IL 60526 (United States)
• OSTI ID: 23142148
• Resource Relation: Conference: Global'99: International Conference on Future Nuclear Systems - Nuclear Technology - Bridging the Millennia, Las Vegas, NV (United States), 29 Aug - 3 Sep 1999; Other Information: Country of input: France; available from American Nuclear Society - ANS, 555 North Kensington Avenue, La Grange Park, IL 60526 (US)
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
AMERICIUM
BURNUP
CLOSED FUEL CYCLE
CURIUM
FAST NEUTRONS
FAST REACTORS
FISSION PRODUCTS
FISSIONABLE MATERIALS
HIGH-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES
LEAD COOLED REACTORS
NATURAL URANIUM
NUCLEAR POWER
NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS
PLUTONIUM
PLUTONIUM NITRIDES
PROLIFERATION
REACTIVITY WORTHS
REPROCESSING
SPENT FUELS
TRANSMUTATION