TRS435_web
TRS435_web
TRS435_web
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U natural<br />
18 424<br />
Enrichment<br />
2434<br />
Depleted U<br />
15 990<br />
Uranium<br />
oxide<br />
fabrication<br />
Storage: two years<br />
Uranium oxide<br />
irradiation<br />
in LWR<br />
Losses (%)<br />
U 100<br />
Pu 100<br />
MA 100<br />
FP 100<br />
All mass flow in kg/TW·h(e)<br />
Losses:<br />
U 2276.01<br />
Pu 29.21<br />
MA 3.59<br />
High level waste<br />
TRU = 32.82 HM = 2308.83<br />
FIG. 5. The once through fuel cycle. FP: fission products.<br />
4.1.2. Plutonium recycling in light water reactor MOX<br />
Since natural uranium contains only 0.72% of the fissile 235 U isotope, the<br />
recycling of uranium and plutonium from spent fuel through the RFC scenario<br />
(Fig. 6) has been from the beginning of the nuclear era the standard scenario of<br />
nuclear energy production. There has, however, been reduced support for this<br />
approach in many States in recent years, owing to economic factors and particularly<br />
to proliferation concerns.<br />
By processing according to this RFC scenario, the major fraction<br />
(~99.9%) of the uranium and plutonium streams is extracted and only a very<br />
minor fraction of the major actinides is transferred to the HLLW (and consequently<br />
to the vitrified HLW) and eventually to the geologic repository.<br />
However, if public and/or political acceptance of very long term disposal<br />
of HLW cannot be obtained, the removal of MAs from high active residua or<br />
HLLW would be a technical solution that might reduce the residual radiotoxicity<br />
of the HLW. Moreover, with increasing burnup, the generation of MAs<br />
becomes more and more important. The addition of an MA partitioning<br />
37
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