Inventory reduction factors for actinide-burning liquid-metal reactors

Conference · Thu Oct 31 23:00:00 EST 1991 · Transactions of the American Nuclear Society; (United States)

OSTI ID:7066934

Pigford, T H ^[1]; Choi, J S ^[2]

---

1. Univ. of California, Berkeley (United States)
2. Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA (United States)

Fast-spectrum advanced liquid-metal-cooled reactors (ALMRs) have been proposed to transmute transuranic (TRU) elements (neptunium, plutonium, americium, and cadmium) recovered from light water reactor (LWR) spent fuel that would otherwise be emplaced in a geologic repository. The purpose is to reduce the inventory of TRU in the high-level waste (HLW) to reduce the risks from actinides in a geologic repository for HLW. New chemical processes for LWR and ALMR spent fuel would be developed with TRU decontamination factors {gamma} of 10{sup 3} to 10{sup 5}, assuming that transmutation in ALMRs would reduce the amount of TRU to be sent to a geologic repository by factors of 10{sup 3} to 10{sup 5}. In this paper, the authors calculate reduction factors actually obtainable and the length of time ALMRs must operate to reduce the TRU inventory by a given amount.

• OSTI ID: 7066934
• Report Number(s): CONF-911107--
• Journal Information: Transactions of the American Nuclear Society; (United States), Journal Name: Transactions of the American Nuclear Society; (United States) Vol. 64; ISSN TANSA; ISSN 0003-018X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

052000* -- Nuclear Fuels-- Waste Management
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
210100 -- Power Reactors
Nonbreeding
Light-Water Moderated
Boiling Water Cooled
210200 -- Power Reactors
Nonbreeding
Light-Water Moderated
Nonboiling Water Cooled
210500 -- Power Reactors
Breeding
ACTINIDE BURNER REACTORS
ACTINIDES
ALPHA-BEARING WASTES
ANL
BURNUP
BWR TYPE REACTORS
CLEANING
CRITICAL MASS
DECONTAMINATION
ELEMENTS
ENERGY SOURCES
ENRICHED URANIUM REACTORS
EPITHERMAL REACTORS
FAST REACTORS
FUEL CYCLE
FUEL MANAGEMENT
FUELS
GEOLOGIC FORMATIONS
HIGH-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES
LIQUID METAL COOLED REACTORS
MANAGEMENT
MASS
MATERIALS
METALS
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
NUCLEAR FUELS
OPERATION
POWER REACTORS
PWR TYPE REACTORS
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
REACTOR COMPONENTS
REACTOR CORES
REACTOR MATERIALS
REACTOR OPERATION
REACTORS
REPROCESSING
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SPENT FUELS
THERMAL REACTORS
TRANSMUTATION
TRANSURANIUM COMPOUNDS
US AEC
US DOE
US ERDA
US ORGANIZATIONS
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTES
WATER COOLED REACTORS
WATER MODERATED REACTORS