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Impact of Partitioning and Transmutation on High-Level Waste Management

This workshop discusses the impact of partitioning and transmutation on high-level waste management in the context of nuclear energy sustainability. It explores strategies for minimizing long-lived wastes, reducing inventories, and the need for final repositories. The Red-Impact project, along with other international initiatives, is presented as a reference.

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Impact of Partitioning and Transmutation on High-Level Waste Management

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  1. Impact of Partitioning and Transmutation on the High Level Waste ManagementE.M. Gonzalez (CIEMAT) Workshop on Applications of High Intensity Proton Accelerators Fermilab 20-X-2009 E. Gonzalez: Impact of P&T on the High Level Waste Management (AHIPA09 - Fermilab) 1

  2. P&T grand objectives • Independently of different position for the future of Nuclear Energy, all countries with share the need for a final solution for spent fuel & HLW: • Future need for the energy content in spent fuel (long term sustainability) • Eurobarometer of 2008 shows that > 70% of the EU27 population believes that “There is no safe way of getting rid of high level radioactive waste" P&T Means • For some countries: Improving Sustainability of Nuclear energy by improving utilization of natural resources. Recycling U and Pu, plus • For every country: Minimizing and reducing (long-lived) (High Level) Wastes for • Reducing long term inventories: Radiotoxicity, Fissionable materials • Reducing Number of Final Repositories for large/long use of Nuclear • by Transmutation of Actinides • P&T does not substitute the Geological Repositories. P&T references: Euratom (FP4-FP7:Eurotrans, Europart, ACSEPT,…), Red-Impact + Pateros (impact, scenarios and road-map for R&D) USA projects + Japan projects + NEA/OCDE, IAEA, ISTC E. Gonzalez: Impact of P&T on the High Level Waste Management (AHIPA09 - Fermilab) 2

  3. RED-IMPACTImpact of Partitioning, Transmutation and Waste Reduction Technologies on the Final Nuclear Waste Disposal KTH-Sweden: Coordinator FZJ-Germany: Co-Coordinator Belgium: BN; SCK-CEN Czech Republic: NRI; RAWRA EC: ITU-Karlsruhe France: Areva ANP, CEA; COGEMA Germany:FANP; GRS; IER; KKP Netherlands: NRG Romania: CITONSlovakia: DECOM, VUJE Spain: CIEMAT; EA; ENRESA UK: NexiaSolutions; NIREX; UC 23 partners + 2 subcontractors EC CONTRACT NO. FI6W-CT-2004-002408 Duration: March 2004 – September 2007 completed in 2008. E. Gonzalez: Impact of P&T on the High Level Waste Management (AHIPA09 - Fermilab) 3

  4. RED-IMPACT • WP1: Review of waste management and transmutation strategies, selection of fuel cycles scenarios • WP2: Feasibility of the industrial deployment of selected scenarios and their impact on waste management • WP3: Assessment of waste streams, waste features, leach resistance, heat generation, reprocessing capability etc. for selected fuel cycles. • WP4: Assessment of the benefits of P&T/C in advanced fuel cycles for waste management and geological disposal. • WP5:Economic, environmental and societal assessment of fuel cycle strategies • WP6:Synthesis and dissemination of results E. Gonzalez: Impact of P&T on the High Level Waste Management (AHIPA09 - Fermilab) 4

  5. Scenarios for Fuel Cycles (NEA / Red-Impact) Scenario Mass flow Waste Strs: HLW, ILW,… Isotopic V. Variants & Time Dependent Scenarios Heat, RdTx, RdAc, Packages Repository C Volume P.A.: Doses A2 A1 B2 B1 A3 B3 E. Gonzalez: Impact of P&T on the High Level Waste Management (AHIPA09 - Fermilab) 5

  6. Scenario Mass flow Waste Strs: HLW, ILW,… Isotopic V. Variants & Time Dependent Scenarios Heat, RdTx, RdAc, Packages Repository C Volume P.A.: Doses Scenarios for Fuel Cycles • Industrial scenarios @ equilibrium • Scenario A1:(reference) : once through open cycle with Gen-II / III reactors • Scenario A2 : mono-recycling of plutonium in Gen-III reactors (+ variants) • Scenario A3 : Multirecycling of Pu (only) in Sodium Fast Reactors (EFR) • Innovative scenarios @ equilibrium • Scenario B1 : Multi-recycling of Pu & MA in Sodium Fast Reactors (EFR) plus advanced PUREX • Scenario B2 : mono-recycling of plutonium in Gen-III reactors and burning of Minor Actinides in ADS plus advanced PUREX & PYRO • Scenario B3 : mono-recycling of plutonium in Gen-III reactors + burning of plutonium in Gen-IV fast reactors + burning of Minor Actinides in ADS including advanced PUREX and PYRO(reduced efforts) • Transition Scenarios E. Gonzalez: Impact of P&T on the High Level Waste Management (AHIPA09 - Fermilab) 6

  7. Scenarios for Fuel Cycles Scenario Mass flow Waste Strs: HLW, ILW,… Isotopic V. Variants & Time Dependent Scenarios Heat, RdTx, RdAc, Packages Repository C Volume P.A.: Doses • Simplified double strata: with LWR UOX, Mono-recycling of PU in LWR and multi-recycling of Pu+MA in fast spectrun ADS (no Fast reactor) • Variants: ADS with TRU Oxide fuel in ZrO2 inert matrix • (+ 8.5% Pu content in MOX and 5 years LWR UOX spent fuel cooling time) • Separate handling of FP heat sources (Cs+Sr) (studied in B1) Scenario B2 E. Gonzalez: Impact of P&T on the High Level Waste Management (AHIPA09 - Fermilab) 7

  8. Scenario Mass flow Waste Strs: HLW, ILW,… Isotopic V. Variants & Time Dependent Scenarios Heat, RdTx, RdAc, Packages Repository C Volume P.A.: Doses Time dependent Scenarios Transition Scenarios: A1 to A3 or B1 Transition Scenarios: A1 to B2 Regional Scenarios:2 or more countries with different long term program for nuclear energy E. Gonzalez: Impact of P&T on the High Level Waste Management (AHIPA09 - Fermilab) 8

  9. Scenario Mass flow Waste Strs: HLW, ILW,… Isotopic V. Variants & Time Dependent Scenarios Heat, RdTx, RdAc, Packages Repository C Volume P.A.: Doses HLW: Waste Streams and Isotopic v. Red-Impact- HLW hypothesis Detailed, Industrial or experimental performances for the distribution of each type of elements in the different HLW and ILW streams at the reprocessing E. Gonzalez: Impact of P&T on the High Level Waste Management (AHIPA09 - Fermilab) 9

  10. Scenario Mass flow Waste Strs: HLW, ILW,… Isotopic V. Variants & Time Dependent Scenarios Heat, RdTx, RdAc, Packages Repository C Volume P.A.: Doses Packages Spent Fuel: SPA HLW: UC-V ILW: UC-C Using existing standard packages: Number of packages, volume and gallery length, heat and radiation levels (n, g) E. Gonzalez: Impact of P&T on the High Level Waste Management (AHIPA09 - Fermilab) 10

  11. Scenario Mass flow Waste Strs: HLW, ILW,… Isotopic V. Variants & Time Dependent Scenarios Heat, RdTx, RdAc, Packages Repository C Volume P.A.: Doses Deep Geological Repositories P.A. using existing repository design not optimized for P&T Granite Czech Republic Granite Spain Salt Germany Boom Clay Belgium E. Gonzalez: Impact of P&T on the High Level Waste Management (AHIPA09 - Fermilab) 11

  12. Results: Inventories, Radiotoxicity E. Gonzalez: Impact of P&T on the High Level Waste Management (AHIPA09 - Fermilab) 12

  13. U Inventory reduction Chemical and Isotopic composition of the actinides in the high level wastes (HLW) from advanced fuel cycles (NEA-2002), equivalent to RED-Impact Pu Cm Np Am Fully closed fuel cyclesrecycling both Pu and M.A., including both fast spectrum transmutation systems (FR and/or ADS) and multiple recycling with very low losses (0.1% of Pu and 0.5% of M.A.) could significantly reduce, i.e. a 1/100, the transuranium and long-term radiotoxicity inventories finally disposed of. E. Gonzalez: Impact of P&T on the High Level Waste Management (AHIPA09 - Fermilab) 13

  14. HLW + ILW: Radiotoxicity • Red-ImpactHLWs and ILWs radiotoxicity evolution with time: • Reduction 1/10 if only Pu recycled and 1/100 when Pu+MA transmuted • Small contribution from ILW • Small but dominant contribution from Rep U at very long time A3 HLW A1 A2 HLW RepU B2 HLW B1 HLW A2 ILW B2 B1 HLW E. Gonzalez: Impact of P&T on the High Level Waste Management (AHIPA09 - Fermilab) 14

  15. Time dependent Scenarios Scenario Mass flow Waste Strs: HLW, ILW,… Isotopic V. Variants & Time Dependent Scenarios Heat, RdTx, RdAc, Packages Repository C Volume P.A.: Doses Radiotoxicity inventories for transition scenarios A1 A3 HLW B1 HLW RepU B2 HLW Optimized program of reprocessing as a function of technology maturity to achieve maximum improvements on radiotoxicity inventory and capacity of the repository. E. Gonzalez: Impact of P&T on the High Level Waste Management (AHIPA09 - Fermilab) 15

  16. Results: Heat load Repository capacity Number of repositories E. Gonzalez: Impact of P&T on the High Level Waste Management (AHIPA09 - Fermilab) 16

  17. Scenario Mass flow Waste Strs: HLW, ILW,… Isotopic V. Variants & Time Dependent Scenarios Heat, RdTx, RdAc, Packages Repository C Volume P.A.: Doses Derived magnitudes: Heat Load Red-Impact HLWs (total) thermal power evolution with time: Large effect from M.A. recycling after 100 yr E. Gonzalez: Impact of P&T on the High Level Waste Management (AHIPA09 - Fermilab) 17

  18. Scenario Mass flow Waste Strs: HLW, ILW,… Isotopic V. Variants & Time Dependent Scenarios Heat, RdTx, RdAc, Packages Repository C Volume P.A.: Doses Derived magnitudes: Heat Load Red-Impact HLWs (total) thermal power (Actinides and Fission Fragments contributions) Actin A1,A2,A3 FP 90Sr+137Cs Actin B1, B2 If M.A. are recycled 90Sr and 137Cs dominate the heat load from HLW up to 300yr E. Gonzalez: Impact of P&T on the High Level Waste Management (AHIPA09 - Fermilab) 18

  19. Scenario Mass flow Waste Strs: HLW, ILW,… Isotopic V. Variants & Time Dependent Scenarios Heat, RdTx, RdAc, Packages Repository C Volume P.A.: Doses HLW Heat Load -> Capacity The main thermal limitation for the repository concept is that the maximum temperature at the gallery lining / Boom Clay interface has to remain below 100 °C. For granite repositories the temperature in the bentonite buffer has to remain lower than 100 °C Red-Impacttemperature at the interface between the gallery lining and the Boom Clay (Belgian repository concept for disposal in clay) time (yr) Length of the HLW disposal galleries B1/A1 reduced by 3 RED-Impact cases for Granite/Clay repositories 1.6 < B1/A1 < 6 Gains in HLW gallery length depend on the host formation, and in the detailed design of the repository and can be further optimized. E. Gonzalez: Impact of P&T on the High Level Waste Management (AHIPA09 - Fermilab) 19

  20. Scenario Mass flow Waste Strs: HLW, ILW,… Isotopic V. Variants & Time Dependent Scenarios Heat, RdTx, RdAc, Packages Repository C Volume P.A.: Doses HLW Heat Load -> Capacity • Heat reduction at normal disposal time (50 years) is modest • With M.A. recycling, the heat load can be reduced 1/10 by prolonging the cooling time from 50 to 150 years. • The same results can be obtained at the standard cooling times by separation and temporarily storage of Cs and Sr. • WPFC/NEA 2006 estimates up to a factor of 43 potential reduction in the drift loading of the repository, in comparison with the direct disposal • Potential reduction factors exceeding 40 were also obtained in Yucca Mountain studies. E. Gonzalez: Impact of P&T on the High Level Waste Management (AHIPA09 - Fermilab) 20

  21. Scenario Mass flow Waste Strs: HLW, ILW,… Isotopic V. Variants & Time Dependent Scenarios Heat, RdTx, RdAc, Packages Repository C Volume P.A.: Doses HLW Heat Load -> Capacity Cs & Sr separation from HLW • Two variant scenarios of B1 in which it is assumed that only Sr or both Cs and Sr are separated from the HLW prior to vitrification were studied at Red-Impact. • Separating Cs and Sr makes that the thermal output of the vitrified HLW is so low that cooling times are not longer needed, or that other repository concepts can be used. • But long-lived 135Cs isotope (half-life 2.3 million years) might need to be disposed of in a geological repository. • Separating Cs and Sr, + conditioned Cs-waste is disposed after a total cooling time of 100 years (50 more than normal)  • needed gallery length can be reduced with an additional factor 4 vs. B1 • in total with a factor 13 in comparison to direct disposal. • Longer cooling times would increase the reduction factors. E. Gonzalez: Impact of P&T on the High Level Waste Management (AHIPA09 - Fermilab) 21

  22. Scenario Mass flow Waste Strs: HLW, ILW,… Isotopic V. Variants & Time Dependent Scenarios Heat, RdTx, RdAc, Packages Repository C Volume P.A.: Doses ILW: Waste Streams and Isotopic v. Red-Impact – ILW hypothesis Some of these hypotheses are very uncertain E. Gonzalez: Impact of P&T on the High Level Waste Management (AHIPA09 - Fermilab) 22

  23. Scenario Mass flow Waste Strs: HLW, ILW,… Isotopic V. Variants & Time Dependent Scenarios Heat, RdTx, RdAc, Packages Repository C Volume P.A.: Doses Number of WastePackages Red-Impact- HLW- ILW waste packages Applying no optimizations, large Production of ILW is estimated in Red-Impact. These ILW would compromise the capacity improvements from the HLW heat reductions -> Not a real dose or volume problem but Optimization on impurities specification & management of ILW Most dominant ILW isotopes are 14C and 36Cl, activation of impurities in fuel or structural materials. Tighter specification of the impurities content in fuel and steels could possibly limit the problem. ILW storage concepts would be useful. E. Gonzalez: Impact of P&T on the High Level Waste Management (AHIPA09 - Fermilab) 23

  24. Results: Performance Assessment Doses E. Gonzalez: Impact of P&T on the High Level Waste Management (AHIPA09 - Fermilab) 24

  25. Scenario Mass flow Waste Strs: HLW, ILW,… Isotopic V. Variants & Time Dependent Scenarios Heat, RdTx, RdAc, Packages Repository C Volume P.A.: Doses Deep Geological Repositories P.A. using existing repository design not optimized for P&T Granite Czech Republic Granite Spain Salt Germany Boom Clay Belgium E. Gonzalez: Impact of P&T on the High Level Waste Management (AHIPA09 - Fermilab) 25

  26. Scenario Mass flow Waste Strs: HLW, ILW,… Isotopic V. Variants & Time Dependent Scenarios Heat, RdTx, RdAc, Packages Repository C Volume P.A.: Doses Individual Dose from repository: HLW Granite-H Small effect as RdTX mainly from F.F. and activation prod. Matrix lifetime has a strong effect on doses due to the mobile fission and activation products such as 129I, 14C and 36Cl. The decrease in doses from these elements in the scenarios with reprocessing is a consequence of the reduced inventory in the HLW, as they are released (under control) as effluents . E. Gonzalez: Impact of P&T on the High Level Waste Management (AHIPA09 - Fermilab) 26

  27. Scenario Mass flow Waste Strs: HLW, ILW,… Isotopic V. Variants & Time Dependent Scenarios Heat, RdTx, RdAc, Packages Repository C Volume P.A.: Doses Individual Dose from repository: ILW A2 B2 ILW in Granite-H A3/B1 Dose from ILW dominated by 129I, 36Cl, 14C, 135Cs. Hypothesis the waste matrix does not provide any isolation E. Gonzalez: Impact of P&T on the High Level Waste Management (AHIPA09 - Fermilab) 27

  28. Scenario Mass flow ILW in B-Clay Waste Strs: HLW, ILW,… Isotopic V. Variants & Time Dependent Scenarios Heat, RdTx, RdAc, Packages Repository C Volume P.A.: Doses Individual Dose from repository: ILW In B-Clay, the about 50-m thick clay barrier spreads the release of mobile fission and activation products from the host clay formation into the surrounding aquifer layers over several tens of thousands of years, minimizing their radiotoxicity at release time. The the main contributors to the dose are 129I, 36Cl and 79Se. The matrix lifetime was taken equal to 1000 years. No ILW problems because the delay of the clay barrier. E. Gonzalez: Impact of P&T on the High Level Waste Management (AHIPA09 - Fermilab) 28

  29. Scenario Mass flow Waste Strs: HLW, ILW,… Isotopic V. Variants & Time Dependent Scenarios Heat, RdTx, RdAc, Packages Repository C Volume P.A.: Doses Individual Dose from repository: HLW Salt (altered evolution) E. Gonzalez: Impact of P&T on the High Level Waste Management (AHIPA09 - Fermilab) 29

  30. Scenario Mass flow Waste Strs: HLW, ILW,… Isotopic V. Variants & Time Dependent Scenarios Heat, RdTx, RdAc, Packages Repository C Volume P.A.: Doses Individual Dose from repository: HLW • For all considered host formations, the impact of P&T on the maximum dose is limited, because the maximum dose is essentially due to long-lived fission or activation products. • For 129I and 14C and 36Cl (activation products) the inventories in the HLW are much smaller than in the original fuel, because large fractions of those elements have been released as effluents. • Small worsening because the difference between UO2 vs glasses as conditioning matrix. • Doses from ILW could become important without tighter specifications for impurities in materials and if no isolation from environment is provided. ILW doses are largely reduced for Clay formations. E. Gonzalez: Impact of P&T on the High Level Waste Management (AHIPA09 - Fermilab) 30

  31. Scenario Mass flow Waste Strs: HLW, ILW,… Isotopic V. Variants & Time Dependent Scenarios Heat, RdTx, RdAc, Packages Repository C Volume P.A.: Doses Dose Human intrusion Annual dose in the geotechnical worker scenario, for 8 HLW and SF types vs Cigar Lake Uranium ore body and ICRP intervention levels The radio-toxicity in the high level waste or spent fuel as well as human intrusion doses after 500 years are drastically reduced by the transmutation of the actinides, exceeding in some scenarios a 1/100 reduction factor E. Gonzalez: Impact of P&T on the High Level Waste Management (AHIPA09 - Fermilab) 31

  32. Main conclusions • P&T reduces the final waste Radiotoxicity and its Thermal Load from the wastes to the repository, and strongly accelerates the Thermal load decay after 100 years. • This will allow to reduce the gallery length required for HLW in granite and clay repositories, increasing their capacity (factor 1.6-6). The effect is enhanced by delaying disposal to >100y from discharge, separating Sr &Cs handling or both. Final potential gain 30 to 40 • In the case of large parks or long utilization of nuclear energy the previous reductions will allow to reduce the number of repositories finally needed. P&T could also allow to enhance the utilization of natural resources (U, factor >30) contributing to the long term sustainability of nuclear energy. • For small nuclear parks and short period of exploitation, regional solutions for P&T can provide feasible solutions for HLW minimization at moderate time scale. E. Gonzalez: Impact of P&T on the High Level Waste Management (AHIPA09 - Fermilab) 32

  33. Main conclusions • Transition scenarios show the importance of long term planning of resources and infrastructure availability for the feasibility and performance of P&T. • Transition scenarios indicates that using early P&T technology before is fully functional (MA handling) might limit the final performance for scenarios mainly oriented to reduction of wastes (like reduction of nuclear park). • In the evaluation of P&T effect on costs we mainly find large uncertainty but “modest” (<20%) maximum effect, for the complete fuel cycle. • Independently of the minimization technologies used, there will be always need of highly isolated final repository for the residual (losses,…) HLW. • Joint optimization of P&T cycles and D.G. Repository should improve performance. E. Gonzalez: Impact of P&T on the High Level Waste Management (AHIPA09 - Fermilab) 33

  34. Thanks for your attention E. Gonzalez: Impact of P&T on the High Level Waste Management (AHIPA09 - Fermilab) 34

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