26.1 DEEP REPROCESSING OF SPENT NUCLEAR FUEL AS A KEY STEP FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF NUCLEAR ENERGY

УДК 502.171:622.333+550.42:546.56(477.83) • ? Issue 26 / 2016 • 5 — 16 pages

 

B. Shabalin, S. Bugera, E. Zakrytniy

B. Shabalin, D. Sc ( Geol.), Head of the Department, SI «The Institute of Environmental Geochemistry of NAS of Ukraine» b_shabalin@ukr.net, igns@i.com.ua
S. Bugera Junior Researcher, SI «The Institute of Environmental Geochemistry of NAS of Ukraine» igns@i.com.ua
E. Zakrytniy Junior Researcher, SI «The Institute of Environmental Geochemistry of NAS of Ukraine»

Abstract

The present paper focuses on the possible successive steps, with respect to nuclear fuel cycle improvement, which ensure stable development of the Nuclear Power Industry. Pu extracted from spent nuclear fuel (SNF) from light-water reactors (LWR) may be reused in MOX fuel for LWRs. Along with depleted uranium utilization, this will allow conserving of about 17% of natural uranium stocks using stable ultimate nuclear waste practically free from U and Pu. Further Pu multireprocessing requires fast reactors commissioning for effective use of U-238 available in natural and depleted form in SNF stocks. Processes of reprocessing and recycling of LWR SNF UOX fuel and MOX fuel should be developed and improved as well. In long-term prospect, extraction of minor actinides and long-lived fission products during SNF reprocessing envisages increasing of natural resource utilization efficiency and minimization of hazardous impact of nuclear wastes on the future generations due to reduction of residual heat generation and radiotoxicity which allows increasing of nuclear waste density and operation period of the repository. Step-by-step realization of these processes determines the stable further development of the Nuclear Power Industry.

 

Key words: nuclear fuel cycle, spent nuclear fuel, reprocessing, extraction of α-containing radionuclides, radiotoxicity.

 

Article

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