Development of evolutionary mixed-oxide fuel
- Los Alamos National Laboratory, NM (United States)
The disposition of both surplus weapon and unseparated commercial plutonium is attracting much public attention, both in terms of the public press and its impact on future energy strategy. Current public and government attention is focused on the disposition of plutonium that has been declared excess to world military needs. However, to appreciate the magnitude of the spent-fuel plutonium concern, note that only 50 tonnes of plutonium has been declared surplus in the United States (and potentially a much larger quantity in Russia). In comparison, every year, an equivalent or greater amount of plutonium is discharged from power reactors in spent fuel. Because watercooled reactors use low-enriched uranium (mostly {sup 238}U) for reactor fuel, their spent fuel contains plutonium that was bred during power production. In fact, most of the plutonium in the world has been produced in commercial power reactors as part of a once-through fuel cycle and is currently being stored at reactor sites pending ultimate disposition. Approximately 70 tonnes of unseparated plutonium will be generated annually in commercial power reactors, and of this 70 tonnes, only 10 to 20 tonne/yr will be separated through reprocessing and refabricated into mixed-oxide (MOX) fuel. This imbalance between production and reuse is leading to a fast-growing inventory of unseparated plutonium. In fact, by the year 2000, nearly 1000 tonnes of unseparated plutonium will exist worldwide. This paper provides a description of this fuel form, identifies some of its advantages and methods of use, and gives an overview of ongoing evolutionary MOX (EMOX) development activities at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL).
- OSTI ID:
- 426340
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-961103--
- Journal Information:
- Transactions of the American Nuclear Society, Journal Name: Transactions of the American Nuclear Society Vol. 75; ISSN 0003-018X; ISSN TANSAO
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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