Impact of partitioning and transmutation on the high level waste management

• Published in: Nuclear engineering and design Vol. 241; no. 9; pp. 3436 - 3444
• Main Author: González-Romero, E.M.
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 01-09-2011; Elsevier
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Controled nuclear fusion plants; Electricity; Energy; Energy. Thermal use of fuels; Exact sciences and technology; Fission nuclear power plants; Fuels; Installations for energy generation and conversion: thermal and electrical energy; Nuclear engineering; Nuclear fuels; Nuclear power generation; Nuclear reactor components; Nuclear reactors; Partitioning; Preparation and processing of nuclear fuels; Reduction; Transmutation; Energy consumption; Radioactive waste; Nuclear energy; Fuel cycle; Transmutation; High level radioactive waste; Nuclear fuel; Irradiated nuclear fuel; EURATOM; Nuclear reactor
• ISSN: 0029-5493; 1872-759X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.nucengdes.2011.03.030

► Partition and transmutation to minimize nuclear waste. ► Conclusions of NEA working groups and RED-IMPACT project. ► Partitioning and transmutation impact on inventory, heat source and repository assesment. ► Long term sustainability of nuclear energy.
Nuclear energy generates 30% of the electricity in the EU. Still, different countries of EU27 have very different attitudes towards the future use of nuclear energy for electricity generation or other uses. However, independently of the political decision of continuation or phase out of the nuclear energy, all countries using nuclear energy to generate electricity are facing the question of the final management of its spent nuclear fuel and other high level radioactive wastes.
Partition and Transmutation are emerging technologies that when integrated in advanced fuel cycles can strongly influence on the final wastes from the nuclear industry and its management. A review of the progress on the understanding of their real potentialities and main conclusions from a large number of international studies are presented in this paper. In particular, the conclusions from the main NEA working groups and the EURATOM RED-IMPACT project are jointly discussed.
In this paper the emphasis is put on the effects of Partitioning and Transmutation on the inventory reduction, the heat source reduction and its implications to the repository capacity and on the performance assessment of the final repository.