Impact of Reprocessed Uranium Management on the Homogeneous Recycling of Transuranics in PWRs

Youinou, Gilles J.

doi:10.1080/00295450.2017.1305191

Title: Impact of Reprocessed Uranium Management on the Homogeneous Recycling of Transuranics in PWRs

Abstract

This article presents the results of a neutronics analysis related to the homogeneous recycling of transuranics (TRU) in PWRs with a MOX fuel using enriched uranium instead of depleted uranium. It also addresses an often, if not always, overlooked aspect related to the recycling of TRU in PWRs, namely the use of reprocessed uranium. From a neutronics point of view, it is possible to multi-recycle the entirety of the plutonium with or without neptunium and americium in a PWR fleet using MOX-EU fuel in between one third and two thirds of the fleet. Recycling neptunium and americium with plutonium significantly decreases the decay heat of the waste stream between 100 to 1,000 years compared to those of an open fuel cycle or when only plutonium is recycled. The uranium present in MOX-EU used fuel still contains a significant amount of ²³⁵uranium and recycling it makes a major difference on the natural uranium needs. For example, a PWR fleet recycling its plutonium, neptunium and americium in MOXEU needs 28 percent more natural uranium than a reference UO₂ open cycle fleet generating the same energy if the reprocessed uranium is not recycled and 19 percent less if the reprocessed uranium is recycledmore »« less

Authors:

Youinou, Gilles J. ^[1]

Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States). Nuclear Systems Design and Analysis Division

Publication Date:: Thu May 04 00:00:00 EDT 2017

Research Org.:: Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)

Sponsoring Org.:: USDOE Office of Nuclear Energy (NE)

OSTI Identifier:: 1367871

Report Number(s):: INL/JOU-16-40546
Journal ID: ISSN 0029-5450

Grant/Contract Number:: AC07-05ID14517

Resource Type:: Accepted Manuscript

Journal Name:: Nuclear Technology

Additional Journal Information:: Journal Volume: 198; Journal Issue: 2; Journal ID: ISSN 0029-5450

Publisher:: American Nuclear Society (ANS)

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

Subject:: 22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS; Reprocessed Uranium; Transurancics in PWRS; Uranium management; Plutonium; TRU; Recycling; PWR

Citation Formats


                    Youinou, Gilles J. Impact of Reprocessed Uranium Management on the Homogeneous Recycling of Transuranics in PWRs.  United States: N. p., 2017. 
Web.  doi:10.1080/00295450.2017.1305191.

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                    Youinou, Gilles J. Impact of Reprocessed Uranium Management on the Homogeneous Recycling of Transuranics in PWRs.  United States.  https://doi.org/10.1080/00295450.2017.1305191

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                    Youinou, Gilles J. Thu .  
"Impact of Reprocessed Uranium Management on the Homogeneous Recycling of Transuranics in PWRs".  United States.  https://doi.org/10.1080/00295450.2017.1305191.  https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1367871.

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@article{osti_1367871,

  title        = {Impact of Reprocessed Uranium Management on the Homogeneous Recycling of Transuranics in PWRs},

  author       = {Youinou, Gilles J.},

  abstractNote = {This article presents the results of a neutronics analysis related to the homogeneous recycling of transuranics (TRU) in PWRs with a MOX fuel using enriched uranium instead of depleted uranium. It also addresses an often, if not always, overlooked aspect related to the recycling of TRU in PWRs, namely the use of reprocessed uranium. From a neutronics point of view, it is possible to multi-recycle the entirety of the plutonium with or without neptunium and americium in a PWR fleet using MOX-EU fuel in between one third and two thirds of the fleet. Recycling neptunium and americium with plutonium significantly decreases the decay heat of the waste stream between 100 to 1,000 years compared to those of an open fuel cycle or when only plutonium is recycled. The uranium present in MOX-EU used fuel still contains a significant amount of 235uranium and recycling it makes a major difference on the natural uranium needs. For example, a PWR fleet recycling its plutonium, neptunium and americium in MOXEU needs 28 percent more natural uranium than a reference UO2 open cycle fleet generating the same energy if the reprocessed uranium is not recycled and 19 percent less if the reprocessed uranium is recycled back in the reactors, i.e. a 47 percent difference.},

  doi          = {10.1080/00295450.2017.1305191},

  journal      = {Nuclear Technology},

  number       = 2,

  volume       = 198,

  place        = {United States},

  year         = {Thu May 04 00:00:00 EDT 2017},

  month        = {Thu May 04 00:00:00 EDT 2017}

}

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Works referenced in this record:

Impact of spread in minor actinide data from ENDF/B-VII.0, ENDF/B-VI.8, JENDL-3.3 and JEFF-3.0 on an IAEA-CRP FBR benchmark for MA incineration
journal, August 2008

Pandikumar, G.; Gopalakrishnan, V.; Mohanakrishnan, P.
Annals of Nuclear Energy, Vol. 35, Issue 8
DOI: 10.1016/j.anucene.2008.01.004

Core Modification to Improve Irradiation Efficiency of the Experimental Fast Reactor Joyo
journal, April 2011

Maeda, Shigetaka; Yamamoto, Masaya; Soga, Tomonori
Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, Vol. 48, Issue 4
DOI: 10.1080/18811248.2011.9711751

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Title: Impact of Reprocessed Uranium Management on the Homogeneous Recycling of Transuranics in PWRs

Abstract

Citation Formats

Impact of spread in minor actinide data from ENDF/B-VII.0, ENDF/B-VI.8, JENDL-3.3 and JEFF-3.0 on an IAEA-CRP FBR benchmark for MA incineration journal, August 2008

Core Modification to Improve Irradiation Efficiency of the Experimental Fast Reactor Joyo journal, April 2011

Impact of spread in minor actinide data from ENDF/B-VII.0, ENDF/B-VI.8, JENDL-3.3 and JEFF-3.0 on an IAEA-CRP FBR benchmark for MA incineration
journal, August 2008

Core Modification to Improve Irradiation Efficiency of the Experimental Fast Reactor Joyo
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