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Title: A review of separation processes proposed for advanced fuel cycles based on technology readiness level assessments

Abstract

The results of an international review of separation processes for spent nuclear fuel (SNF) recycling in future closed fuel cycles are reported. This study was made by the Expert Group on Fuel Recycling Chemistry (EGFRC) organised by the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). A unique feature of this study was that processes were classified according to a hierarchy of separations aimed at different elements within spent fuel (uranium; uranium-plutonium co-recovery; minor actinides; high heat generating radionuclides) and also the Head-end processes, used to prepare the SNF for chemical separation, were included. Separation processes covered both wet (hydrometallurgical) and dry (pyro-chemical) processes. A bespoke methodology suitable for assessing the technological maturities of separation processes for SNF recycling was then designed based on the well-established Technology Readiness Level (TRL) scale but adapted for spent nuclear fuel separations. The innovative feature of this was the use of a matrix approach that enabled information on both the scale of testing and materials used in testing to be combined in the evaluation of the TRL. TRLs for the Head-end, hydrometallurgical and pyrochemical processes that had been reviewed by the study have been evaluated. It is clear that,more » whilst more R&D is needed in most cases to raise TRLs, suitable options exist to enable the recovery of all actinide elements plus the HHRs by wet or dry processes, even up to the extraordinarily difficult isolation of americium alone. The technology readiness levels (TRL) for most processes fall in the ‘proof of principle’ range with TRLs between 4 and 6, although this is an evaluation at the system level and some gaps in the individual process steps may still exist that strictly would reduce the overall TRL. That is, flowsheets have been proposed for processes and tested with active materials under increasingly relevant conditions, through to initial hot tests with small quantities of SNF. The results of this work were shown to be comparable to a parallel European study that evaluated TRLs for minor actinide partitioning processes.« less

Authors:
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [4]; ORCiD logo [3];  [5];  [6];  [5];  [7];  [8];  [9];  [5];  [7]; ORCiD logo [10];  [9];  [11];  [11];  [12];  [1]; ORCiD logo [13]
+ Show Author Affiliations
  1. Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA), Gif sur Yvette (France)
  2. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Nuclear Energy Agency (OECD-NEA), Paris (France)
  3. Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
  4. ENEA, Rome (Italy)
  5. National Research Centre (NRC), Moscow (Russian Federation). Kurchatov Inst. (NRCKI)
  6. Joint Research Centre (JRC), Karlsruhe (Germany)
  7. Central Research Inst. of Electric Power Industry (CRIEPI), Tokyo (Japan)
  8. Rosatom, Moscow (Russian Federation)
  9. Korea Atomic Energy Research Inst. (KAERI), Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)
  10. Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
  11. Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA), Tokai (Japan)
  12. Research Centre Řež (Czech Republic)
  13. National Nuclear Lab. (NNL), Seascale (United Kingdom)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Nuclear Energy (NE)
OSTI Identifier:
1559283
Report Number(s):
INL/JOU-18-44641-Rev000
Journal ID: ISSN 0149-1970; TRN: US2000329
Grant/Contract Number:  
AC07-05ID14517
Resource Type:
Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Progress in Nuclear Energy
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 117; Journal Issue: C; Journal ID: ISSN 0149-1970
Publisher:
Elsevier
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS; separations; minor actinides; technology readiness; hydro-metallurgy; pyro-processing

Citation Formats

Baron, P., Cornet, S. M., Collins, E. D., DeAngelis, G., Del Cul, G., Fedorov, Yu., Glatz, J. P., Ignatiev, V., Inoue, T., Khaperskaya, A., Kim, I. T., Kormilitsyn, M., Koyama, T., Law, J. D., Lee, H. S., Minato, K., Morita, Y., Uhlíř, J., Warin, D., and Taylor, R. J.. A review of separation processes proposed for advanced fuel cycles based on technology readiness level assessments. United States: N. p., 2019. Web. doi:10.1016/j.pnucene.2019.103091.
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Baron, P., Cornet, S. M., Collins, E. D., DeAngelis, G., Del Cul, G., Fedorov, Yu., Glatz, J. P., Ignatiev, V., Inoue, T., Khaperskaya, A., Kim, I. T., Kormilitsyn, M., Koyama, T., Law, J. D., Lee, H. S., Minato, K., Morita, Y., Uhlíř, J., Warin, D., & Taylor, R. J.. A review of separation processes proposed for advanced fuel cycles based on technology readiness level assessments. United States. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pnucene.2019.103091
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Baron, P., Cornet, S. M., Collins, E. D., DeAngelis, G., Del Cul, G., Fedorov, Yu., Glatz, J. P., Ignatiev, V., Inoue, T., Khaperskaya, A., Kim, I. T., Kormilitsyn, M., Koyama, T., Law, J. D., Lee, H. S., Minato, K., Morita, Y., Uhlíř, J., Warin, D., and Taylor, R. J.. Wed . "A review of separation processes proposed for advanced fuel cycles based on technology readiness level assessments". United States. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pnucene.2019.103091. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1559283.
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@article{osti_1559283,
title = {A review of separation processes proposed for advanced fuel cycles based on technology readiness level assessments},
author = {Baron, P. and Cornet, S. M. and Collins, E. D. and DeAngelis, G. and Del Cul, G. and Fedorov, Yu. and Glatz, J. P. and Ignatiev, V. and Inoue, T. and Khaperskaya, A. and Kim, I. T. and Kormilitsyn, M. and Koyama, T. and Law, J. D. and Lee, H. S. and Minato, K. and Morita, Y. and Uhlíř, J. and Warin, D. and Taylor, R. J.},
abstractNote = {The results of an international review of separation processes for spent nuclear fuel (SNF) recycling in future closed fuel cycles are reported. This study was made by the Expert Group on Fuel Recycling Chemistry (EGFRC) organised by the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). A unique feature of this study was that processes were classified according to a hierarchy of separations aimed at different elements within spent fuel (uranium; uranium-plutonium co-recovery; minor actinides; high heat generating radionuclides) and also the Head-end processes, used to prepare the SNF for chemical separation, were included. Separation processes covered both wet (hydrometallurgical) and dry (pyro-chemical) processes. A bespoke methodology suitable for assessing the technological maturities of separation processes for SNF recycling was then designed based on the well-established Technology Readiness Level (TRL) scale but adapted for spent nuclear fuel separations. The innovative feature of this was the use of a matrix approach that enabled information on both the scale of testing and materials used in testing to be combined in the evaluation of the TRL. TRLs for the Head-end, hydrometallurgical and pyrochemical processes that had been reviewed by the study have been evaluated. It is clear that, whilst more R&D is needed in most cases to raise TRLs, suitable options exist to enable the recovery of all actinide elements plus the HHRs by wet or dry processes, even up to the extraordinarily difficult isolation of americium alone. The technology readiness levels (TRL) for most processes fall in the ‘proof of principle’ range with TRLs between 4 and 6, although this is an evaluation at the system level and some gaps in the individual process steps may still exist that strictly would reduce the overall TRL. That is, flowsheets have been proposed for processes and tested with active materials under increasingly relevant conditions, through to initial hot tests with small quantities of SNF. The results of this work were shown to be comparable to a parallel European study that evaluated TRLs for minor actinide partitioning processes.},
doi = {10.1016/j.pnucene.2019.103091},
journal = {Progress in Nuclear Energy},
number = C,
volume = 117,
place = {United States},
year = {2019},
month = {8}
}
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Journal Article:
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Publisher's Version of Record
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pnucene.2019.103091
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Cited by: 43 works
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Figures / Tables:

Fig. 1 Fig. 1: Advanced head end concepts for (a) aqueous and (b) pyro- processes
All figures and tables (17 total)
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Figures / Tables found in this record:

Fig. 1 (p. 12)figure
Fig. 2 (p. 13)figure
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Table 1 (p. 28)table
Table 2 (p. 32)table
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Fig. 10 (p. 36)figure
Fig. 11 (p. 37)figure
Fig. 12 (p. 38)figure
Table 4 (p. 42)table
Table 5 (p. 43)table
Table 6 (p. 43)table
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