FUEL & FUEL CYCLE | USED FUEL MANAGEMENT obstacle to nuclear Used fuel not an
Solutions for the sustainable management of used fuel already exist and innovative options for the future are also being developed.
Why then is used fuel a barrier to the deployment of new nuclear projects? By: the World Nuclear Association’s Used Fuel Management Working Group
USED NUCLEAR FUEL, ALSO REFERRED to as spent nuclear fuel (SNF), is nuclear fuel removed from a reactor following irradiation that is no longer usable in its present form because of depletion of fissile material, poison build-up or radiation damage, it is either considered as an asset – as it contains valuable materials – or as a waste. The management of used nuclear fuel, including any
ultimate waste arising from it, is a mature industrial activity that has been carried out safely and responsibly since the inception of the civil nuclear industry in the 1950s. Plans for the deployment of any power generation
technology, including new nuclear or the extension of an existing nuclear programme, should consider its full life-cycle and supply chain. This should cover the long- term management of used fuel and associated waste. While there is ongoing research and development in this area to continuously improve technologies and processes, current and prospective nuclear power generators are able to effectively manage used nuclear fuel using existing practices.
Below: Chimney of the T1 shearing workshop, UP3 factory. Orano spent fuel processing plant, La Hague establishment. Beaumont Hague. France Photo credit: Orano/ CRESPEAU CYRIL
Current situation Historically, two basic management paths have been implemented by governments and industries to manage
used nuclear fuel. These are: ● Interim storage of the used nuclear fuel, either at the reactor site or at an offsite storage facility, pending future disposal in a deep geological repository (DGR) or its reprocessing.
● Reprocessing of the used nuclear fuel to recycle useful nuclear materials into fresh fuel, while conditioning in a durable glass matrix the remaining non-useful high-level waste for future emplacement in a DGR.
An additional practice, currently limited to research reactors, is the return of the used fuel to the country of origin for recycling or conditioning for disposal; this has largely been applied to research reactors deployed by the USA and Russia.
High-level waste must be conditioned so that it is in a
suitable form for its subsequent management, transport, storage, and final disposal in a deep geological facility. Used nuclear fuel declared as high-level waste is placed into specially designed canisters; waste separated from reprocessing is vitrified and sealed in stainless steel containers. Although final disposal of used nuclear fuel and/or high-level waste from reprocessing is not yet in operation, licensing and construction activities are under way in several countries, including Finland, France, Sweden. Various national regulators and nuclear service
companies have proven competence in all these s olutions.
Interim storage There are several storage technologies available for used nuclear fuel, whether using spent fuel pools or dry storage technologies. Many competing technologies are available at reactor sites or at offsite storage facilities, the selection of which depends on the specific context and policies of the individual operator and country.
Reprocessing and recycling Reprocessing and recycling have been widely deployed to extract the uranium and plutonium contained in used nuclear fuel to provide fresh fuel for power plants. Other valuable materials can also be extracted for non-power uses, for example for nuclear medicine. Many countries, including Belgium, France, Germany, India, Russia, UK and USA, have operated reprocessing facilities for commercial used nuclear fuel. France’s La Hague site fulfils its domestic reprocessing needs and offers reprocessing /recycling services to other countries. Russia’s RT-1 has been reprocessing commercial used fuel for several decades. The UK carried out reprocessing of domestic and foreign used nuclear fuel mainly at Sellafield but ceased operation of all reprocessing activities in 2022. In Japan, a reprocessing plant has been built at Rokkasho but has not yet restarted operation. China and India also operate reprocessing plants for domestic needs though not yet on a commercial basis.
44 | November 2023 |
www.neimagazine.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53
