APEX nuclear fuel cycle for production of LWR fuel and elimination of radioactive waste

Conference · Sat Aug 01 04:00:00 EDT 1981

OSTI ID:6300456

Steinberg, M; Powell, J R

The development of a nuclear fission fuel cycle is proposed which eliminates all the radioactive fission product waste effluent and the need for geological-age high level waste storage and provides a long term supply of fissile fuel for an LWR power reactor economy. The fuel cycle consists of reprocessing LWR spent fuel (1 to 2 years old) to remove the stable nonradioactive (NRFP, e.g. lanthanides, etc.) and short-lived fission products (SLFP e.g. half-lives of (1 to 2 years) and returning, in dilute form, the long-lived fission products, ((LLFPs, e.g. 30 y half-life Cs, Sr, and 10 y Kr, and 16 x 10/sup 6/ y I) and the transuranics (TUs, e.g. Pu, Am, Cm, and Np) to be refabricated into fresh fuel elements. Makeup fertile and fissile fuel are to be supplied through the use of a 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 Airox treatment (air oxidation and hydrogen reduction) followed by chelation with an organic reagent (..beta..-diketonate) and vapor distillation of the organometallic compounds for separation and partitioning of the fission products.

• Research Organization: Brookhaven National Lab., Upton, NY (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC02-76CH00016
• OSTI ID: 6300456
• Report Number(s): BNL-29899; CONF-810941-3; ON: DE81030523
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

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210100 -- Power Reactors
Nonbreeding
Light-Water Moderated
Boiling Water Cooled
210200 -- Power Reactors
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210802* -- Nuclear Power Plants-- Economics-- Fuel Cycle
BWR TYPE REACTORS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
FISSION PRODUCTS
FUEL CYCLE
FUEL ELEMENTS
ISOTOPES
MATERIALS
PWR TYPE REACTORS
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
REACTOR COMPONENTS
REACTORS
REPROCESSING
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SPENT FUEL ELEMENTS
WASTES
WATER COOLED REACTORS
WATER MODERATED REACTORS