Coprocessing: an evaluation of chemical reprocessing without plutonium separation

Journal Article · Fri Dec 01 04:00:00 EST 1978 · Nucl. Technol.; (United States)

OSTI ID:6458465

Pobereskin, M; Kok, K D; Madia, W J

The technical feasibility of a coprocessing concept involving recovery of all the actinides in the spent fuel as a product group has been analyzed. It has been shown that this can be accomplished by a simple modification of the Purex process. The recovered actinide product group can be reconstituted as a fuel for recycle in either light water reactors (LWRs) or liquid-metal fast breeder reactors (LMFBRs), either by addition of moderately enriched uranium for the LWR case or by controlled partial partitioning of uranium in the LMFBR case. Partial partitioning of uranium from a uranium-plutonium extract (that may contain other transuranics, especially neptunium) can be carried out under Purex process conditions that preclude separation of plutonium. A steady-state fuel composition is approached in eight cycles (40 yr) for the LWRs and five cycles (20 yr) for the LMFBRs. Potential for proliferation can be greatly reduced for subnational diversion since the plutonium is not separated from its actinide homologs, nor is the recovered actiride fuel fully decontaminated from fission products. The possibility of proliferation by national diversion can be impeded. Recycle of the actinides reduces, via transmutation, the cumulative amount of actinides produced, defers the bulk of the actinide waste disposal to the end of the useful fuel lifetime, and ameliorates the high-level waste management problem.

• Research Organization: Battelle Memorial Inst., Columbus, OH
• OSTI ID: 6458465
• Journal Information: Nucl. Technol.; (United States), Journal Name: Nucl. Technol.; (United States) Vol. 41:2; ISSN NUTYB
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

050800* -- Nuclear Fuels-- Spent Fuels Reprocessing
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
ACTINIDES
BREEDER REACTORS
BWR TYPE REACTORS
CIVEX PROCESS
ELEMENTS
ENERGY SOURCES
EPITHERMAL REACTORS
FAST REACTORS
FBR TYPE REACTORS
FEASIBILITY STUDIES
FUELS
LIQUID METAL COOLED REACTORS
LMFBR TYPE REACTORS
METALS
NUCLEAR FUELS
PLUTONIUM
PWR TYPE REACTORS
REACTOR MATERIALS
REACTORS
REPROCESSING
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SPENT FUELS
TRANSURANIUM ELEMENTS
URANIUM
WATER COOLED REACTORS
WATER MODERATED REACTORS