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U.S. Department of Energy
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FUel cycle for the 21st century

Conference · · Transactions of the American Nuclear Society; (United States)
OSTI ID:7129538
;  [1]
  1. Univ. of Florida, Gainesville, FL (United States)

The fuel cycle for the 21st century will be driven by environmental factors that accommodate the cost benefits of this environmental focus. Spent-fuel waste management and resource conservation are the most important environmental concerns that must be addressed. The latter factor will eventually lead to a recycle philosophy and to plutonium recycle. The high cost of reprocessing, separating, and recycling of isotopes and mixed-oxide (MOX) fuel fabrication, will force development of ultrahigh-burnup fuels [90,000 MWd/tonne heavy metal (HM)]. Implementation of ultrahigh-burnup fuel depends on the development of burnable poison concepts yielding 2-yr cycles with 10 yr of total operation (one-fifth reload). A cladding material that can accommodate water-side corrosion to ultrahigh burnup must be utilized in conjunction with a fuel design concept that will accommodate ultrahigh-burnup fission gas release.

OSTI ID:
7129538
Report Number(s):
CONF-931160--
Journal Information:
Transactions of the American Nuclear Society; (United States), Journal Name: Transactions of the American Nuclear Society; (United States) Vol. 69; ISSN 0003-018X; ISSN TANSAO
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English