| Project Detail |
The U.S. has accumulated approximately 86,000 metric tons of used nuclear fuel (UNF) from light-water reactors (LWRs), a value that increases by approximately 2,000 tons per year. This UNF is destined for permanent disposal even though more than 90% of its energy remains. Innovative technologies that enable the secure, economical reprocessing of the nation’s LWR UNF could substantially reduce the volume, heat load, and radiotoxicity of waste requiring permanent disposal while providing a valuable and sustainable fuel feedstock for advanced fast reactors. CURIE seeks to research innovative separations technologies, material accountancy, and online monitoring technologies, as well as designs for a reprocessing facility that will enable group recovery of actinides for advanced reactor (AR) feedstocks, incorporate in situ process monitoring, minimize waste volumes, enable a 1¢/kilowatt-hour (kWh) fuel cost for AR fuels, and maintain disposal costs in the range of 0.1¢/kWh. Project Innovation + Advantages: EPRI will research an integrated fuel cycle enterprise, intended to address the coupled challenges of nuclear fuel life-cycle management and AR fuel supply. Input LWR fuel source options and process step options for recycling that produces fuel for ARs such as a molten chloride fast reactor (MCFR) will be characterized and evaluated. EPRI will use this information to develop recycling optimization tool to evaluate the many viable process options for their compatibility and efficiency. The project will research a holistic strategy to reduce the volume of light-water reactor high-level waste requiring permanent disposal by reprocessing it with efficient and evolving techniques that do not produce pure plutonium streams. Potential Impact: By enabling the secure and economical recycling of the nation’s inventory of LWR UNF, CURIE will have the following impacts: |
