Impact of advanced fuel cycles on geological disposal

Jan Marivoet, Eef Weetjens

    Research outputpeer-review

    Abstract

    Advanced nuclear fuel cycles aim at making more efficient use of the available resources, reducing the risk of proliferation of nuclear weapons, and facilitating the management of radioactive waste. The impact of a number of representative advanced fuel cycles on geological disposal has been investigated. The thermal output of the high-level waste arising from advanced fuel cycles in which all the actinides are recycled is reduced with a factor 3 for a 50 years cooling time in comparison with the spent fuel arising from the once-through fuel cycle. This allows for a significant reduction of the length of the disposal galleries and of the size of the repository. Recycling all the actinides strongly reduces the radiotoxicity in the waste. However the reduction of radiotoxicity has little impact on the main safety indicator of a geological repository, i.e. the dose in the case of the normal evolution scenario; this dose is essentially due to mobile fission and activation products. The deployment of advanced fuel cycles will necessitate the development of low activation materials for the new nuclear facilities and fuels and of specific waste matrices.
    Original languageEnglish
    Title of host publicationScientific Basis for Nuclear Waste Management XXXIII
    Subtitle of host publicationSymposium Proceedings
    Place of PublicationWarrendale, PA, United States
    Pages117-126
    Number of pages10
    Volume1193
    DOIs
    StatePublished - Dec 2009
    Event33rd International Symposium "Scientific Basis for Nuclear Waste Management". MRS - V.G. Khlopin Radium Institute, St. Petersburg
    Duration: 24 May 200929 May 2009

    Publication series

    NameMaterials Research Society proceedings
    NumberVolume 1193

    Conference

    Conference33rd International Symposium "Scientific Basis for Nuclear Waste Management". MRS
    Country/TerritoryRussian Federation
    CitySt. Petersburg
    Period2009-05-242009-05-29

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