Experience with thermal recycle of plutonium and uranium

Conference · Tue Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1985 · Trans. Am. Nucl. Soc.; (United States)

OSTI ID:5057040

Beer, O; Schlosser, G; Spielvogel, F

The Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) decided to close the fuel cycle by erecting the reprocessing plant WA350 at Wackersdorf. As long as the plutonium supply from reprocessing plants exceeds the plutonium demand of fast breeder reactors, recycling of plutonium in LWR's is a convenient solution by which a significant advanced uranium utilization is achieved. The demonstration of plutonium recycling performed to date in the FRG in BWR's and PWR's shows that thermal plutonium recycling on an industrial scale is feasible and that the usual levels of reliability and safety can be achieved in reactor operation. The recycling of reprocessed uranium is presently demonstrated in the FRG, too. As regards fuel cycle economy thermal recycling allows savings in natural uranium and separative work. Already under present cost conditions the fuel cycle costs for mixed oxide or enriched reprocessed uranium fuel assemblies are equal or even lower than for usual uranium fuel assemblies.

• Research Organization: Krafwerk Union AG(KWU), Erlangen, West Germany
• OSTI ID: 5057040
• Report Number(s): CONF-850514-
• Conference Information: Journal Name: Trans. Am. Nucl. Soc.; (United States) Journal Volume: 49, Suppl. 1
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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ACTINIDES
BWR TYPE REACTORS
COST
ECONOMIC ANALYSIS
ECONOMICS
ELEMENTS
ENERGY SOURCES
ENRICHED URANIUM
EUROPE
FABRICATION
FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY
FISSILE MATERIALS
FISSIONABLE MATERIALS
FUEL ASSEMBLIES
FUEL CYCLE
FUEL REPROCESSING PLANTS
FUELS
ISOTOPE ENRICHED MATERIALS
MATERIALS
METALS
MIXED OXIDE FUELS
NUCLEAR FACILITIES
NUCLEAR FUELS
PLANNING
PWR TYPE REACTORS
REACTOR MATERIALS
REACTORS
RELIABILITY
REPROCESSING
SAFETY
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SLIGHTLY ENRICHED URANIUM
SOLID FUELS
SPENT FUELS
URANIUM
WATER COOLED REACTORS
WATER MODERATED REACTORS
WESTERN EUROPE