scholarly journals Storage of thermal reactor fuels – Implications for the back end of the fuel cycle in the UK

2016 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. 21
Author(s):  
David Hambley
Keyword(s):  
Fuel Cycle ◽  
Thermal Reactor ◽  
The Uk

Sellafield Decommissioning Programme: Progress Update

2003 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. F. Challinor
Keyword(s):  
Research And Development ◽  
Fuel Cycle ◽  
Step Change ◽  
Nuclear Facilities ◽  
Extensive Experience ◽  
Strategic Direction ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Uk Government ◽  
The Uk

In 1999 the UK government announced a step change in the strategy for the delivery of the UK civil nuclear clean-up programme. BNFL has responded to the Governments announcement by changing the strategic direction and increasing the priority on remediation activities across the Company. BNFL has extensive experience in decommissioning nuclear facilities having undertaken remediation and decommissioning operations on BNFL sites for many years, encompassing a wide range of projects including reactors, fuel cycle plants and Research and Development facilities. This paper describes the challenges posed by, and the progress made, on some of the range of decommissioning projects undertaken on the Sellafield site as part of its decommissioning and remediation portfolio. These decommissioning operations cover a variety of redundant fuel cycle facilities ranging in size and complexity in both beta gamma and alpha contamination environments utilising manual and remote decommissioning techniques to systematically and progressively reduce the hazard on the site.

Thermal-Hydraulic Design Support and Safety Analyses of SEALER UK Demo

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin Zwijsen ◽  
Heleen Uitslag-Doolaard ◽  
Ferry Roelofs ◽  
Janne Wallenius
Keyword(s):  
Fuel Cycle ◽  
Safety Evaluation ◽  
Evaluation Process ◽  
Design Parameters ◽  
Cfd Model ◽  
Pressure Drops ◽  
Design Values ◽  
Water Reactors ◽  
Passively Safe ◽  
The Uk

Abstract SEALER (SwEdish Advanced Lead Reactor) is a passively safe lead-cooled reactor designed for commercial power production, under design by the LeadCold company. The reactor is modular in design, allowing for factory production and reduction in investment risk compared with new-build of large Light Water Reactors. Furthermore, its core is designed such that it can generate power for up to 25 years without the need of on-site fuel-cycle operations. The SEALER UK model has specifically been designed to produce base-load power on the UK grid. In the design and safety evaluation process, NRG is currently providing support to LeadCold Reactors with respect to thermal-hydraulic safety analyses utilizing Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) competences. The current paper gives a comprehensive description of a 3D CFD model created of SEALER UK Demo, which is a scaled-down demonstrator of SEALER UK. The geometry of the CFD model of SEALER UK Demo as well as the modelling approach and numerical settings are presented here. Assumptions were made in order to make it computationally feasible to perform simulations. These are discussed as well. Subsequently, the 3D CFD model is used to perform steady-state analyses of SEALER UK Demo operating under nominal conditions. Main parameters such as mass flow rates, temperatures and core pressure drops coming from the model match the design values well, with differences being at most a couple percent. Also, it is found that the margin to lead freezing with the current design parameters is more than 50K.

scholarly journals Minor actinides transmutation in equilibrium cores of next generation FRs

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 353-359
Author(s):  
Alexander V. Egorov ◽  
Yurii S. Khomyakov ◽  
Valerii I. Rachkov ◽  
Elena A. Rodina ◽  
Igor R. Suslov
Keyword(s):  
Isotopic Composition ◽  
Fast Reactor ◽  
Fuel Cycle ◽  
Synergetic Effect ◽  
Transient State ◽  
Advanced Technology ◽  
Thermal Reactor ◽  
Spent Fuel ◽  
Operating Period ◽  
Nitride Fuel

The Russian Federation is developing a number of technologies within the «Proryv» project for closing the nuclear fuel cycle utilizing mixed (U-Pu-MA) nitride fuel. Key objectives of the project include improving fast reactor nuclear safety by minimizing reactivity changes during fuel operating period and improving radiological and environmental fuel cycle safety through Pu multi-recycling and МА transmutation. This advanced technology is expected to allow operating the reactor in an equilibrium cycle with a breeding ratio equaling approximately 1 with stable reactivity and fuel isotopic composition. Nevertheless, to reach this state the reactor must still operate in an initial transient state for a lengthy period (over 10 years) of time, which requires implementing special measures concerning reactivity control. The results obtained from calculations show the possibility of achieving a synergetic effect from combining two objectives. Using МА reprocessed from thermal reactor spent fuel in initial fuel loads in FR ensures a minimal reactivity margin during the entire fast reactor fuel operating period, comparable to the levels achieved in equilibrium state with any kind of relevant Pu isotopic composition. This should be combined with using reactivity compensators in the first fuel micro-campaigns. In the paper presented are the results of simulation of the overall life cycle of a 1200 MWe fast reactor, reaching equilibrium fuel composition, and respective changes in spent fuel nuclide and isotopic composition. It is shown that МА from thermal and fast reactors spent fuel can be completely utilized in the new generation FRs without using special actinide burners.

Regulation of Ageing Reprocessing Facilities in the UK

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. P. Maitland
Keyword(s):  
Fuel Cycle ◽  
Good Practice ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Spent Fuel ◽  
North West ◽  
The North ◽  
Environmental Transport ◽  
Setting Approach ◽  
Regulatory Approach ◽  
The Uk

The UK’s strategy for spent Magnox reactor fuel demands continued operation of the Magnox Reprocessing facility at Sellafield (located in the North West of England) to reprocess the remaining spent fuel in the shutdown Magnox reactor stations and from the two remaining operational Magnox reactor stations, Wylfa and Oldbury. Safety, security, environmental, transport, energy and economic issues provide the initiative to continue reprocessing in ageing facilities that are prone to chronic operational and nuclear safety challenges. One of the responsibilities of the UK’s Office for Nuclear Regulation is to regulate the safety of continuing Magnox Reprocessing Operations against relevant health and safety legislation; this largely non-prescriptive framework requires dutyholders to demonstrably reduce risk so far as is reasonably practicable. This paper articulates the often complex balances that have to be made to demonstrate compliance with safety law to sustain continued operation of ageing reprocessing facilities. This paper details how the UK’s regulatory framework facilitates a flexible, proportionate and goal-setting approach to regulating operational facilities where it is difficult to satisfy relevant good practice or standards that would be expected of a modern facility. The challenges presented by regulation of ageing, operational facilities is analogous to those from legacy waste retrieval and decommissioning; this paper reflects the versatility of the UK’s regulatory approach to these two different areas of the fuel cycle.

CANDU Position and Prospect in Chinese Nuclear Fuel Cycle

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhenhua Zhang ◽  
Mingjun Chen ◽  
Peide Zhou ◽  
Qing Li ◽  
Zhiliang Meng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Power ◽  
High Efficiency ◽  
Fuel Cycle ◽  
System Development ◽  
Natural Uranium ◽  
Thermal Reactor ◽  
Closed Fuel Cycle ◽  
Power Company ◽  
Company Limited ◽  
Reprocessed Uranium

To manage climate challenge and optimize energy supply structure, China has decided to develop more nuclear power in a safe and high-efficiency manner. On a nuclear sustainable development perspective, it is necessary to develop a closed fuel cycle (CFC) system and also take great efforts to improve natural uranium (NU) utilization ratio of thermal reactor. CANDU is great certainty to play an important role in this strategy. This paper presents CNNC Third Qinshan Nuclear Power Company Limited (TQNPC) efforts of being develop the engineering technologies of recycling reprocessed uranium (RU) and nuclear use of thorium (Th) resource in CANDU type reactor and finding the CANDU’s position in Chinese CFC system. Also this paper provides a proposal of implementation plan for Chinese CFC system development and also for application of the related CANDU engineering technologies.

scholarly journals Economic Evaluation on the MOX Fuel in the Closed Fuel Cycle

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Youqi Zheng ◽  
Hongchun Wu ◽  
Liangzhi Cao ◽  
Shizhuang Jia
Keyword(s):  
Fuel Cycle ◽  
Thermal Reactor ◽  
Pressurized Water Reactor ◽  
Fuel Cost ◽  
Analysis Model ◽  
Closed Fuel Cycle ◽  
Pressurized Water ◽  
Mox Fuel ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Current Operating

The mixed oxide (MOX) fuel is one of the most important fuels for the advanced reactors in the future. It is flexible to be applied either in the thermal reactor like pressurized water reactor (PWR) or in the fast reactor (FR). This paper compares the two approaches from the view of fuel cost. Two features are involved. (1) The cost of electricity (COE) is investigated based on the simulation of realistic operation of a practical PWR power plant and a typical fast breeder reactor design. (2) A new economic analysis model is established, considering the discount rate and the revenue of the reprocessed plutonium besides the traditional costs in the processes of fuel cycle. The sensitivity of COE to the changing parameters is also analyzed. The results show that, in the closed fuel cycle, the fuel cost of applying MOX fuels in the FBR is about 25% lower than that in the PWR at the current operating and fuel cycle level.

Environmental aspects of the fast reactor fuel cycle

1990 ◽  
Vol 331 (1619) ◽  
pp. 395-408 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Fast Reactor ◽  
Fuel Cycle ◽  
Reactor Fuel ◽  
Thermal Reactor ◽  
Environmental Aspects ◽  
Fuel Cycles ◽  
Global Environmental ◽  
Delay Times ◽  
Fast Reactor Fuel ◽  
Reactor Accidents

The main characteristics that differentiate a developed fast reactor fuel cycle from the thermal reactor fuel cycles operating now are the higher fissile content of the fuel, the greater incentive to reprocess fuel at shorter delay times and the elimination of uranium mining. The local and global environmental impacts of a typical fuel cycle normalized to 1GW e a of output are estimated, including those from the fabrication, transport and reprocessing of fuel and from reactor operations. Radioactive emissions and radiation doses arising from these operations are compared with those from thermal reactor cycles. The risks of accidental discharges from reprocessing plants are discussed, but reactor accidents are not included. The requirements for safeguards are described. Typical inventories of radioactive wastes arising from reprocessing and from decommissioning have been calculated; the management and disposal of these wastes will pose no significant new problems. The overall result is that a transition from thermal to fast reactor fuel cycles should not result in any increase in environmental impact.

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