Status report on actinide and fission product transmutation studies

110 Pages·2002·8.17 MB·English

IAEA-TECDOC-948
Status repnoort
actid nfniidsase ion product
transmutation studies
INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY
June 1997
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STATUS REPON AROCT TIND FINDISAES ION PRODUCT TRANSMUTATION STUDIES
IAEA, VIENNA,"!997
IAEA-TECDOC-948
ISSN 1011-4289
©IAEA, 1997
Printed by IAEA in Austria
June 1997
FOREWORD
e hmTanagemef nort adiy oeiskasc euthn ietvits o feod weanyao'ss st iep olitid cnpaaul blic
discussions on nuclear energy. In each country with nuclear power, the decision as to which strategy
one should pursue in a national programme depends on a wide range of economic, political and
historical considerations, but all have in common that the safety of the population and radiation
exposuro eth uman nia scsi cordance with radiation protection principles accepted worldwide. Public
acceptanf ocneu clear power ge emnbe oryraaetim oena sily ob eithsatoin lfaeitdi on time required
fe orrha ddtie f omcofnaoouy sc tln ihdiiegs h level was rsietde uo c2et0d 0-300 years.
One of the fields that looks into the future possibilities of nuclear technology is the neutronic
transmutatiof oanc t fionso iddmneaes most important fission products. Rather than waitir nothfg eir
radioactive dn eipc sair tiyin ciple possiblo etr edue chept eriof odt oxicitf oyt hese isotopeybs
transforming them into short livr eosdt able nuclidn eifsi ssion rean ciatc orcores lerator-driven
subcritical facilities.
fFoast e Sehp eesIcAThiUaElitAs t.s rMnf oaeoco wetfftiiivenil gted ya rnat hse rTihi s
Reactr ooArfsc tinide Transmutation hen lOid bninsk, Russian Federation, 22-24 September 1992,
e mcbaoyn sidera esdt arting e eTvheeTncht .nical Committee Meen tiVnigi n ednSonanaf aety
Environmental Aspects of Partitioning and Transmutation of Actinides and Fission Products,
29 November - 2 December 1993, followed. A Special Scientific Programme on the Use of High
Energy Accelerators for Transmutation of Actinides and Power Production in conjunction with the
38th IAEA General Conference was held in Vienna on 21 September 1994. More than one hundred
participants attended the meeting.
Nowadays more and more studies are carried out on transmutation of actinides in various
countrn ia ietan dsnat ernational level. OECD/NEAs ahi nitiated recentT l&SPy a ystems Studdyna
siiet xpected the rhaett eshsutt luftods y we ipbll ublished withe nhino te ywxett ars. Since theerrae
R&D activ nitthiieis s field o euO es ehtitsIEhnaahAitikdChttEeite oDan Adt i,tovce eumhetn t
research activities on transmutation of actinides and fission products in those Member States. The
Technical Committee Meeting on Feasibility of Transmutation of Actinides in Advanced Reactors,
held in Vienna from 5 to 7 December 1994, has recommended the preparation of the status report on
transmutation of actinides and fission products studies in non-OECD countries and provided an input
e phre eftrophe raptroa frtitoo.n
The status report was prepared by a Technical Committee meeting held in September 1995.
The aim of the report is to present an up-to-date general overview of current and planned research
on transmutation in non-OECD countries, thus fostering bilateral and multilateral co-operation of
interested Member States.
The IAEA would like to thank all those individuals who participated in the Technical
Committee meetd innto hgahposw rsoe vided written contributions fe rhovtma rious countries.
Special thank. N ot seudR era abotnov frome ht Russian Federation,o hw compilede ht input from
the experts and to I. Gibson from the United Kingdom, who reviewed and edited the final draft.
EDITORIAL NOTE
In preparing this publication for press, staff of the IAEA have made up the pages from the
original manuscripe tvh i(Tes)w .s ex topnnreec soesdsesd arily reflecte ghtoth vofeosre nmefnots
e nhomtinating Membee rn hoSmtr taion oftaet sing organizations.
Thre oteuhxgtth onuaf tMmoee msber e rSrets taaatathiene seyd swaerewe twhexh tten
compiled.
e osfT uphae rticular designaf tcoioonus ntr rtioeers ritoriey st ju iondmdnoapgeles y myben t
the publisher, the IAEA, as to the legal status of such countries or territories, of their authorities
dinnastitute iodhr enootlsf imitation of their boundaries.
The mentif oonn amf oess pecific companr oipers oducts (wt ohnine dtrhiocears ated
registered) does not imply any intention to infringe proprietary rights, nor should it be construed
as an endorsement or recommendation on the part of the IAEA.
CONTENTS
1. INTRODUCTION.............................................................................................7.
2. CONCEPTS FOR THE FUTURE OF THE NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE.......................... 11
2.1. Introduction........................................................................................... 11
2.2. Summary of national activities.................................................................... 11
2.2.1. Belgium....................................................................................... 11
2.2.2. China.......................................................................................... 13
2.2.3. Czech Republic.............................................................................. 14
2.2.4. France......................................................................................... 16
2.2.5. India........................................................................................... 17
2.2.6. Japan .......................................................................................... 20
2.2.7. Republf ioKc orea........................................................................2.2..
2.2.8. Russian Federation.......................................................................... 22
2.2.9. International organizations.........................................................5...2... .
3. TRANSMUTATION RESEARCH.........................................................................29
3.1. Nuclear physd inncaus clear data..............................................................9.2..
3.1.1. China.......................................................................................... 29
3.1.2. India........................................................................................... 29
3.1.3. Russian Federatioa..................................................................1...3... .
3.2. Thermopd thhnyesraimc sohydraulics.....................................................4...3... .
3.2.1. Russian Federation...................................................................4...3... .
3.3. Reactor physics and core design.................................................................. 37
3.3.1. China.......................................................................................... 37
3.3.2. Republic of Korea........................................................................... 41
3.3.3. Russian Federation.......................................................................2.5..
3.4. Radiochemistry....................................................................................... 59
3.4.1. India...........................................................................................59
3.4.2. Russian Federation.......................................................................0.6..
3.5. Accelerator driven transmutation technologies (ADTT)..................................5.6.. .
3.5.1. International status........................................................................5.6.
3.5.2. Czech Republic.............................................................................. 68
3.5.3. Russian Federation.........................................................................5.7
3.6. Fuel cycr Polef&s T.............................................................................9..7..
3.6.1. General issueA Msr fo ecycling..........................................................97
3.6.2. India...........................................................................................68
3.6.3. Russian Federation.......................................................................... 86
. 4 FUTURE TRENDS...........................................................................................99
REFERENCES.....................................................................................................^!
ABBREVIATIONS ................................................................................................ 109
CONTRIBUTORS TO DRAFTING AND REVIEW........................................................ Ill
NEXT PAQE(S)
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1. INTRODUCTION
Management of radioactive waste (RW) in an environmentally safe manner is an important issue
being addressed by all the countries developing a nuclear industry. In many countries it has become
a serious political issue attracting intense critical attentie hogt fnoe neral public. Therefore, working
out of a safe acceptable solution is a technological challenge to international and national nuclear
communities. Nuclear spent fuel (NSF) e wmhhta isicnihW csooRnut rafcoine s fissionable isotopes
and therefe oihsrtse ues connected F whSaiNtnh dle iarnalgs o proliferation sensitive.
Large scale spent fuel reprocessing has been carried out since the middle fifties by several
countries. Countries such as the UK, France, Germany, Japan, India and the Russian Federation
have been progressively step ptphuienigr capab rsiolpietfinet s fuel reprocessing. These countries,
after carefully reviewing the various options have recognized that reprocessing of the fuel is the safer
e hpt froo dibr tleeg mot ysaw associated wie thhlto ng term storagd ndea ispoe hsst apfole nt fuel
waste, at the same time ensuring augmented energy from a given initial fuel inventory. Several other
countries however are storing the spent fuel for the time being and are yet to decide on the final
option; the necessity for the decision becomes more urgent as time goes on and spent nuclear fuel
continues accumulating on-site and in interim stores, some of them already operating above initially
planned capacity.
Geological disposal is considered as the unavoidable final step in any scheme of RW
management. But important questions which remain to be answered are:
Wh, WewRthh eeihctrs hiu sually considered dangere obc unoasnc, sidered potentiallr oye ven
presentla yv aluable commodity?
What actions if any might be undertaken to turn the RW from nuisance into an asset, into
secondary raw material, as it is routinely done in other industries?
Neutron transmutation of long lived radioactive minor actinides (MA - neptunium, americium,
curiume )ht yb fission process, producing energyd na simultaneously turning them into shorter lived
nuclides si,b eing intensely analyse dndda iscussa e psdao ssible answeo trt hese questioehnt snI.
same way, neutron transmutation of selected long lived fission products (LLFP) is being proposed.
The concept of a closed nuclear fuel cycle (NFC) was traditionally considered as transmutation
(burf nooinnlgy ) plu dtroenncyiuacml ed uranium, with minor actinides dr efsiontianfle d geological
disposal. Now, a new understanding is emerging:
(a) In a long term case (multiple recycling and long total cooling times) plutonium and minor
actinid erieans terconnecd tmneadi x yedbde cays (241Pu into 241Am, 242Cm into 238Pu, 244Cm into
240Pu, etc.).
) bP(lutonium isotopes with small fis oscitoanp ture re acrtlin aootihss ee ir physical properotites
minor actinidd nedase gradatiof onp lutonium isotopic composition nim ultiple recyclniin sgi
many ways similare ht ot admixture fo minor actinides (neptunium americiumd na curium) both
in neutronic propertiese ht ni dna resulting difficultiesn i fabricationd na handlingf o secondary
fuel. Hence the experience gained in MOX fuel fabrication should be useful in the fabrication of
fuel with minor actinides.
(c) Production of MA goes up in multiple recycling of plutonium while the mass of plutonium
decreases.
(d) Reduction of actinide components would ease requirements for final repositories and make them
relatively less expensive.
All this is attracting growing attention to the prospects of neutron transmutation of minor
actinides and, also, of some selected fission products (FP). The proposed schemes include burning in
advanced reactors, both thermal and fast and in accelerator driven subcritical facilities.
Although initially few nuclides (transuranium elements and "Tc) have been identified as
potential candidatesr of transmutation, additional onese ra under consideration [1].e hT extentot
which they can be transmuted, is still an open question. Practically any isotopic mixture of minor
actinides pn ilana tcneenids e neutron rfosloufmx e time becomes highly radioace tphiveTeri o.otd
cool it down to less than its initial radiotoxicity is one of the crucial parameters to be taken into
account in planning transmutation schemes.
Several possibilities for the transmutation of long lived nuclides by nuclear reactions have been
suggested [2]. In the beginning, the best choice appeared to be the fast breeder reactor [3], because
accelerators, light water reactors or even futuristic fusion reactors did not appear economically
viable. However, recently there has been a renewed interest in the accelerator driven transmutation
(ADT) schemes which seem osts how good promise.
e hpTartition fionngu cd lbiadeheesn seen n meae xa htPsientUanl syRf iooEnX process.
Technical feasibility studies (mainly in the USA), showed that the cost-benefit ratio for the net
radiological risk reduction exceededy b $32,400r epm an-re SUmg ehtu idelinef o $1000r epm an-
m er[4]. Her eeht,r adiological risk reduction considered only minor actinit odnf ednisas sion
products, which, when included in the partitioning scheme, would have considerably reduced the
costr ep man-rem. Becausef o theirw ol reaction cross-section, "Tc,1 29I, 135Cs couldeb ton
efficiently transmut ehept dnri esent nuclear power stationso s,t hae httt ransmutationf ot hose fission
products ae pfbpe oaetsa itrboet nlatdeh is time. Ls paawrtoe tpe rism, ous oeodtd erated assemblies
ebhlatnin f kfoeatss t breeder oreetma cprtlooorys accelerator driven systems having considerably
higher neutron fluxes [5]. In 1982, the French Ministry of Research and Industry [6] encouraged
continuation of research in this field, which, in France, led to the SPIN (separation and incineration)
Programme where presently several options for partitioning & transmutation (P&T) are being
studie ehntd niIn. etiee hJst apanese Government launched a similar initiativ dnseat artee hdOt mega
Programme that initiated broad research in P&T by several Japanese organizations.
It should be pointed out that technical feasibility, and especially the economic and radiological
soundnef sots ransmutation still needo tps r eohatvr ogesu, mentsd nabago raotT fhin& shsPto uld
be carefully compared and evaluated.
The main arguments in favour of P&T are:
e ahcbttiunr infdioensg considerably ree dnuhecctees ssary vd orelne ullaoamhxnte egs evity
requirements for final disposal stores which are very expensive and attract most intense
public criticism and objections;
multiple plutonium recycling which is the essence of a really efficient closed nuclear fuel
cycle (NFC) is somewhat more difficult than first Pu recycle. However, additional
ecbrit ictaol;nA r eyce Miyanhccmlctl iuonf smgo oioptn l iceautiodn s
My Aamb ecomn eaa dditional sourcef o fission energy.
e hmT ain arguments againT &asPrte :
inclusiof onh ighly radioactive transuraniC cFsmN ai nekhtetos fuel refabrication more
difficud nhlata zardoud nnsa ecessf iort eaesutm eehsot tely controlled operations;
many mad tetenrciaahlns ologies inve oplrvraoeld iferation sensitive;
transmutation reducing the actinide component of high level waste (HLW) increases the total
amount of medium level waste (MLW) and low level waste (LLW), but of shorter half-life.
Much strongd nemar ore complicated interdependencf oer eactor epnhoha deynnhastdi ncos
the requirements for reprocessing, refabrication and final disposal on the other are characteristic of
NFCs involving transmutation. Large variations in recycled fuel composition seem inevitable.
Development of a detailed concept of a closed NFC including MA burning in advanced nuclear
power st joyu asnsmt te sumilts iparametric optimization problem. Some important input data, both
in material sciend cnnaeu clear physicst o knsn teiroallw n wie thnht ecessary accurad cnsyah ouelbd
8
determined. Various proposed radiochemical processes need further investigations. For accelerator
driven nuclear systems new technologies need to be developed.
Strategif eons uclear power developmen neit very coune trroayb viously dependen nhot istorical
re oraso tdrntoas ngly individue ahbTla. sic reactor types usen din ational nuclear power industries
e rqauite diverse. Decisions once takd nieman plementen eid ach country have determine ehptda th
of development for many decades. National approaches to transmutation R&D also reflect this
general situas ttiraoann smutation techna loo le geoeirgcxbaaipel es occtoet enpd htoinwtue afrtioon
reactor technologies adoptedd na provena ni particular country. However innovative approaches
should be considered carefully so as not to block the realization of new and promising ideas.
A consistent r chooanncfdelpi nt Wgm ulosLtn giHn ctelurmd e both general preinchiptles ,
descriptif oomn ethods chosr oerfen alizatif ootnh ose principd nldeaes tailed explanehatti foon
cho eigchTee.n eral poe cbino otnts sidered are:
1. Main strategic options of the nuclear fuel cycle which determine the rate of production, total
volumed na composition fo HLW.
. 2Sf horae rsf diponrnoigas nks ibility connecteW db eLwtHwiteh en present, d nnfeuaxtut re
generations.
3. The choice of optimum combination of passive (controlled storage and final disposal) and active
(burning up and transmutation) methods in handling HLW.
Further details are related to:
e choTmpe o s prs)tharif iatodbtoi( doiuo funr dconchnttes amfuei clal processing from presently
operatd innfuag ture plants.
)b(Individual parametW erLHar fsdo ionuclides determinine ghct onditionf so storagee h,tn eeddna
possibilitf oyt ransmutation.
e hrTes )ucl(tinge h itsl oifsott ope- s candidatr eotfrs ansmutati donoanp timum storage conditions
for the remaining radionuclides.
) d(Critical analysef so proposed transmutation schemes whicy ahmf all int eohtf ollowing main
categories:
high flux reactors with thermal or slightly harder (epithermal, resonance) spectra;
fast reactors (FP) (standard power planr ostsp ecialized actinide burners);
subcritical assemblies and blankets, both thermal and fast, driven by high energy, high
current acceleray btoo rtrohs er powerful neutron sources (for example, future fusion
reactors).
(e) Using the results of above analyses, to choose the most promising designs and point out both
their advae nphttra odgbnee alsseb om olvts ed.
There are several international programmes set up to study the P&T option. The OECD/NEA is
co-ordinating the R&D activities of its interested Member States. The organization regularly
arranges information exchange meetings and has started evaluation of the present activities [7].
In its cost shared action (CSA) programme, the European Union has supported and co-ordinated
activities in several fields of partitioning & transmutation. A strategy study is being made to assess
e bhetnef fopitas rtitioni& ntrga ne smmh esthaua tntffa eaorttgoyi oefmnd snetoanrt af ogwe aste.
e hpT articipating organizatione sraC EA, Siemens, ECNA ETA, echnolog dynBa elgonucléaireehT.
, KECFCENA, , EI UcdoFT-o ,perate togn eEithFeF ro Td tdRejnoAv iaenltolpy test
nie irrad iatedb ot -n inert ma triica elsarge e xtent ot erhetearogeneous m- w ixheicdh oxide fuels
d PnHaEa RtN rniFIlIXaHt e.ral co-operaI tiUsotnTu dyC , KEmAFix ,ed oxide fuels under
irradiatn iHoinF R, Od PsniHe a raCfihrE s afRtNom InEIe XIP .I commesrcii aIlU cTon terahctt ,
developing a minor actinide fuel using Zr-based alloys which is being irradiated by CEA in PHENIX
(Metaphix).
The ISTC has accepted a research proposal from RIAR to demonstrate a minor actinide fuel
cycle basn eomd ixed oxides obtainy ebedl ectro-deposition from NaCI-2CsCI me eholTtx. idereas
vibro-compac dtnwea edibi lrl radiat neBid OR e-h6pT0ar. tn eerPras NC, BNd FnTaLoU wIT.
ISTC grants on transmutation related research were given to IPPE and the largest one ($3.2 million
ofywoetr ars) w aec noott llaboray tIbiPo dnePl,n EAo, DTT development.
There are considerations which indicate that now it is probably the right time to give further
me se huorhbemtsjt eeencn atotro.uc te mhF n hierxtstt ,genera ftaoidovn anced reactors which will
start operating in the first decade of the next century will have a lifetime of at least 50 to 60 years.
Ths liios ng enou ogrthe quire some flexibi nlitithy eir fuel cycle options which shoe upblld anned
now. Secondly, P&T is certainly a long term problem in the early stage of development and definite
solutie obr yenamas ched only aftea r considerable amoD w&uRno fotr n kit his arew afeNa. cetras
being accumulated fast and a lot of new, sometimes radically new, ideas and proposals are being
formulated.e ht tA same time, difficultiesd na contradictionse ra also being accumulated equally fast.
e hTmethods whice rahp roposeo dt overcome thee mrao ftef onp urely theoreticd naael ven
hypothetical nature. Hence there is the necessity for constant analytical work with new information
to avoid major mistakes and to correct and optimize plans.
SinD caec&t e itvaRrhn ilatetsiihroe ei s s field ou eOths eiEts dIhCteaAn athDkEae A,n
initiatio vtde ocume ehrntet search activitn ieitsh ose Member Sta nteios rd oetar ssn iistht is
proe ghertavma e rlhosumtaFafe tefi. otoyn (environmed nntnaaol)n -proliferation aspefcots
partitioning & transmutation of actinides and fission products, a co-ordinated research programme
has already been set up [8].
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