Improving the actinides recycling in closed fuel cycles, a ... · coal coal-gas combined cycle oil...

Improving the actinides recycling in closed fuel

cycles, a major steptowards nuclear energy

sustainability

| PAGE 1CEA | 10 AVRIL 2012

Stéphane BOURG(1),Christophe POINSSOT(1),

Dominique WARIN(2)

(1) CEA Marcoule / Nuclear Energy Division,RadioChemistry & Processes Department

(2) CEA Saclay / Nuclear Innovation and Industrial Support Program Division,

Nuclear Energy DivisionRadioChemistry & Processes Department

French-Swedish Seminar on Future Nuclear Systems

Stockholm, December 3rd, 2013

OUTLOOK

1. What means referring to sustainability?

2. Environmental drivers: preserving the naturalresource

3. Societal drivers: improving the social acceptance

4. Conclusion: the rationale of the future fuel cycles




Green economy

Reference

case

About the rationale for a new energy mix

�� Necessity to

mitigate the

global climate

change

�� Energy needs will at least double

Wor

ld E

nerg

y O

utlo

ok, A

IE 2

008

0 100 200 300

coal

coal-gas combined cycle

oil

liquid natural gas

thermal solar

tidal power

photovoltaic

wind power

geothermal power

nuclear power

hydraulic power

gCO2/KWh

construction

operation

�� low-carbon energies should increase their contribution

Sustainability requiresa new energy mix

based on carbon-free energies

PAGE 3

10 000 5 000 0




Towards sustainable future energy systems

4

« Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. (…) »

(Bruntland's commission, 1987)

• GHG-free energy

• Preservation of natural resource

• Low environmental footprint

• Predictable, stable and limited energy cost

• Economic stability through energetic

independence

• Highest level of safety and reliability

• Consensual choice of the society

• Promote the international stability

3 main drivers to consider




�� Environmental drivers: preserving the natural resource

�Very low carbon footprint�Uranium conventional resource

Limited for the far-future at a reasonable price (130$/kg U)Lifespan ~1-2 centuries (current consumption 75kt/y)

� However, global efficiency iscurrently very low: ~0.7%

Only ~70t from the initial ~9500t of U is effectively used

� Need for increasing the sustainability

Preserving U resource for future generationsLimiting the front-end activities

5

Uranium ore

~9500t

depleted U(0.2 – 0.5% 235U)

8300t

1200t 1200t

430 TWhe

Spentfuel

~9t 235U~1122t 236+238U~14t Pu~55t FP+AM

56t 235U1144t 238U

(Once-through)

Rough estimates derived from French Fuel cycle assuming no recycling

∆U~70t

Efficiency~0.7%

(NEA 2008)

(derived from EDF, 2009)




Saving natural resource �� recycling Actinides

�Spent nuclear fuel is not a wasteMainly contains actinides that can beused to produce electricity

In PWR, fissile 235U, 239PuIn FNR, fissile + fertile

Saving natural resource � recyclingvaluable actinides

� Increase of SNF inventory in storage is a current and significant risk

Up to now, only ~30% of dischargedSNF worldwide has been reprocessed (~90 000tHM) Most of SNF is currently stored

Pool � dry storage

FP 4.55%

93.0% 238U0.75% 235U0.54% 236U

0,76% oddPu0,41% evenPu

The sole ultimate waste

regarding French Law

(28th June 2006)

(AIEA, Fukuda et al., 2003)

6




1st step towards sustainability: the Pu mono-recycling

7

� Allows saving 17% of U resource� Allows efficient conditioning of HLW

Nuclear glass lifetime demonstrated to be> 500ky in repository

� Allows a significant decrease of wasteburden:

No Pu in waste anymoreLifetime / radiotoxicity decreased by one order of magnitude

0,1

1

10

100

1000

10000

10 100 1000 10000 100000 1000000

Temps (années)

Rad

ioto

xici

té r

elat

ive

102 105 106104103100,1

1

103

104

Time

Relative

radiotoxicity

10

102

U-ore

99,9% of Pu

1200t

10t

8000t




Beneficial effect on repository performance

� A major difference between bothIRF is a significant penality for SNF

In particular for any incidental scenario where wasteform is of great significance

Performance of the SNF matrix can besignificantly altered if it becomes oxidising

Spent nuclear fuel (considering solubility-controlled dissolution) Nuclear glass

IRF penality

8

IRF: Instant Release Fraction (129I, 36Cl…)




Beneficial effect for the overall environmentalfootprint

9

� Improvement of the global environmentalfootprint

Results from LCA

� Sole indicators to increase are the RN releases

No significant impact

Evolution from OTC to TTC

85Kr

14C129I

Σatm=6µSv/yr




�� Increasing efficiency requires shiftingtowards fast neutrons

�Current PWR reactors do not allow an efficient Pu multi-recycling

Increase of non-fissile even Pu isotopes, Low consumption of U through captures

�Neutrons with higher energies allow a better use of U and Pu

neutron capture by 238U � 239Pu fission of every Pu isotopes � MA inventory (=waste)

�Fast neutron reactors allowMulti-recycling of Pu The use of the depleted U stockpile

Theoretically, no need for additional natural U resource � front-end

�Very significant increase of efficiency: from 0.7 to > 80%

σσσσfission /σσσσcapture

10

LWRFNR

0

40

80

120

160

200

Gen 1 Gen 2 Gen 3 Gen4

Ton

nes

Una

t/GW

e-an

sans recyclageavec recyclage

UNGG PWR EPR

160

U n

at(t

) / G

We.

year

200

50

120

80

40

FNR

With

recycling

1t/yr of 238U is sufficient to produce 1 GWe

Once-through cycleTwice-through cycle

Multi-recycling cycle




�Progressive introduction of FNR allows the multi-recycling of Pu

�Feasibility of LWR + FR MOX fuels reprocessing already demonstrated� R&D to adapt the processes to the specificity of FNR fuels

2nd step towards sustainability: the stepwise development of 4 th generation fuel cycle

11

U and Pu multi-recycling in a full FR fleet

( principle values, self-balanced fleet, 60

GW/y)

450t

40t

40t

90t




�� The societal drivers: Improving the social acceptance

� First: safety has to be kept at the highest level

� Second: waste long-termmanagement is not convincing for part of the public opinion

Nuclear waste = Achille's heel of nuclear energy (due to lifetime)Decreasing the waste lifetime mayimprove the social acceptance

� Recycling Pu already yields a verysignificant benefit

� Further improvement requires the recycling the MAs

12

Eurobarometer 2008: % of EU citizens supporting nuclear energywith/without a permanent and safe solution for the HLW

Without With

Pu

Am

Cm




0,1

1

10

100

1000

10000

10 100 1000 10000 100000 1000000

Temps (années)

Rad

ioto

xici

té r

elat

ive

102 105 10610410310

0,1

1

10

102

103

104

time

toxicity

U ore

Recycling the minor actinides, a potential contribution for decreasing the waste b urden

�Allows decreasing the waste lifetime and toxicity

�Allows the stabilization of the MA inventory in the whole fuel cycle

�Allows the preservation of the valuable repository resource

of the heat load �

density of the repository With Am recycling, reduction of the repository volume by a factor up to 8

Very significant increase of the repository "lifespan"

13

HLW: 1200 haHLW: 160 ha

Am

rec

yclin

g




Two main Minor Actinide recycling options

T

U

U Pu AM

FP

Grouped recycling

TMA

U Pu

FP

Heterogeneous recycling

U

Homogeneous recycling �

grouped recycling �

GANEX processes

Heterogeneous recycling �

enhanced partitioning �

DIAMEX/SANEX processes

Moderated core target or blanket in periphery

of the core with MA content ~10-20%

MA concentration ~1%, diluted in

standard fuel in the whole core

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Specific extraction processes have been developed and qualified14




The rationale of the various MA separation processe s

U Product

Pu Product

U Product

Pu Product

U Product

Pu ProductCOEX

U Product

UPu Product

An(III) + Ln(III)-

An(III)/Ln(III)separation

An(III) + Ln(III)-


An(III) + Ln(III)- coextraction


An(III) + Ln(III)-


(DIAMEX) (r-SANEX)

Am,CmAmAmAm

Am selective

Stripping

(EXAm)

GANEX 1

GANEX 2

U

Pu Np Am Cm

Am CmAn(III) selective

Stripping

(i-SANEX)

Am Cm

Homogeneous recycling= grouped separation

GANEX

Heterogeneous recycling= enhanced partitioning

DIAMEX/SANEX

AmAm

U

U,Np,

Pu,Am,

Cm

TMA

U Pu

FP

U

T

U Pu MA

FP

U

15

U,Pu




Recycling the sole Am through the EXAm process

1- Co-extraction Am and light Ln (III) with

DMDOHEMA + HDEHP

+ TEDGA in aqueous phase

2- Stripping of Am with HEDTA + Citric acid

(pH=3-4)

NO

N

O O

Efficiency demonstrated with hot test performed in

Atalantein 2010 on ~5kg

spent fuel

> 98.5% AmFD(Cm) = 500

OO

OHOP

16




The rationale of future nuclear fuel cycles in view of sustainability

Gen. II & III

1980 2000 2200 2040 2060 2080 2100

Gen. IV

…+ MA recycling

Pu-monorecycling

Pu-multi-recyclingPu-mono-recycling- Twice-Through Cycle- LWR reactors

- Pu-recycling in MOX fuel

Pu multi-recycling- Multi-Through Cycle- Fast-Reactors (FR)

- Pu multi-recycling

Pu+MA multi-recycling- Fast Reactors (FR)

- Pu multi-recycling

- MA burning

Gen. IV

Main incentives

- 1st step towards U

resource saving

- Efficient waste

conditioning

Main incentives

- Major resource saving

- Energetic independence

- Economic stability

Main incentives

- Decrease of waste burden,

- Optimisation of the disposal

- Public acceptance

TOWARDS INCREASING SUSTAINABILITYDates are purely indicative

Breakthrough=reactors

Breakthrough=cycle

Onc

e-th

roug

hcy

cle

17




Conclusion: on the sustainability of fuel cycles …

�Sustainability of current fuel cycles can bestrongly improved by recycling the actinides

Preserve the uranium resource for future generations

Twice-through cycle is beneficial first stepalready allows saving 17% natural uraniumFor a similar economic costWith a positive impact in terms of wastevolume, lifetime and long-term performances and environmental footprint

�Further Improvement would requireImproving uranium resource preservation

Use of 238U through Pu-multi-recycling in FNR, Reduced need for any U-mining activities

Decreasing waste burden towards future generations

Minor actinides transmutation

18

3rd step: MA recycling to decrease burden to

future generations and increase acceptance

1st and 2nd step: Pu recyclingto increase natural resourcesaving and promote stable

and predictable energy costs

Recycling the actinides is the cornerstone of any susta inable fuel cycle!

Improving the actinides recycling in closed fuel cycles, a ... · coal coal-gas combined cycle oil...

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