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Apex nuclear fuel cycle for production of light water reactor fuel and elimination of radioactive waste

Journal Article · · Nucl. Technol.; (United States)
OSTI ID:6026596
; ;

The development of a nuclear fission fuel cycle is proposed that eliminates all the radioactive fission product (FP) waste effluent and the need for geological age high-level waste storage and provides a longterm supply of fissile fuel for a light water reactor (LWR) economy. The fuel cycle consists of reprocessing LWR spent fuel (1 to 2 yr old) to remove the stable nonradioactive FPs (NRFPs) e.g., lanthanides, etc.) and short-lived FPs (SLFP) (e.g., half-lives of less than or equal to 1 to 2 yr) and returning, in dilute form, the long-lived FPs (LLFPs) (e.g., 30-yr half-life cesium and strontium, 10-yr krypton, and 16 X 10/sup 6/-yr iodine) and the transuranics (TUs) (e.g., plutonium, americium, curium, and neptunium) to be refabricated into fresh fuel elements. Makeup fertile and fissile fuel (FF) are to be supplied through the use of the spallator (linear accelerator spallation-target fuel producer). The reprocessing of LWR fuel elements is to be performed by means of the chelox process, which consists of chopping and leaching with an organic chelating reagent (..beta..-diketonate) and distillation of the organometallic compounds formed for purposes of separating and partitioning the FPs. The stable NRFPs and SLFPs are allowed to decay to background in 10 to 20 yr for final disposal to the environment.

Research Organization:
Brookhaven National Laboratory Department of Nuclear Engineering, Upton, New York 11973
OSTI ID:
6026596
Journal Information:
Nucl. Technol.; (United States), Journal Name: Nucl. Technol.; (United States) Vol. 58:3; ISSN NUTYB
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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Related Subjects

050800* -- Nuclear Fuels-- Spent Fuels Reprocessing
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
210500 -- Power Reactors
Breeding
ACTINIDE ISOTOPES
ACTINIDE NUCLEI
ACTINIDES
ALKALI METALS
ALKALINE EARTH METALS
ALPHA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
AMERICIUM
BNL
BREEDER REACTORS
CESIUM
CHELATING AGENTS
CURIUM
DISSOLUTION
DISTILLATION
ELEMENTS
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
EVEN-ODD NUCLEI
FISSION PRODUCTS
FLUIDS
FUEL CYCLE
FUEL ELEMENTS
GASES
HALF-LIFE
HALOGENS
HEAVY NUCLEI
IODINE
ISOTOPES
KRYPTON
LEACHING
LWBR TYPE REACTORS
MANAGEMENT
MATERIALS
METALS
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
NEPTUNIUM
NONMETALS
NUCLEAR REACTIONS
NUCLEI
PARTITION
PLUTONIUM
PLUTONIUM 239
PLUTONIUM ISOTOPES
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL
RADIOACTIVE WASTE STORAGE
RADIOISOTOPES
RARE EARTHS
RARE GASES
REACTOR COMPONENTS
REACTORS
REPROCESSING
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SPALLATION
STORAGE
STRONTIUM
THERMAL REACTORS
TRANSPLUTONIUM ELEMENTS
TRANSURANIUM ELEMENTS
URANIUM 233
URANIUM 238
URANIUM ISOTOPES
US AEC
US DOE
US ERDA
US ORGANIZATIONS
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTE STORAGE
WATER COOLED REACTORS
WATER MODERATED REACTORS
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES