Download or read book Merits and Viability of Different Nuclear Fuel Cycles and Technology Options and the Waste Aspects of Advanced Nuclear Reactors written by National Academies Of Sciences Engineeri and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2023-08-22 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The United States has deployed commercial nuclear power since the 1950s, and as of 2021, nuclear power accounts for approximately 20 percent of U.S. electricity generation. The current commercial nuclear fleet consists entirely of thermal-spectrum, light water reactors operating with low-enriched uranium dioxide fuel in a once-through fuel cycle. In recent years, the U.S. Congress, U.S. Department of Energy, and private sector have expressed considerable interest in developing and deploying advanced nuclear reactors to augment, and possibly replace, the U.S. operating fleet of reactors, nearly all of which will reach the end of their currently licensed operating lives by 2050. Much of this interest stems from the potential ability of advanced reactors and their associated fuel cycles - as claimed by their designers and developers - to provide a number of advantages, such as improvements in economic competitiveness, reductions in environmental impact via better natural resource utilization and/or lower waste generation, and enhancements in nuclear safety and proliferation resistance. At the request of Congress, this report explores merits and viability of different nuclear fuel cycles, including fuel cycles that may use reprocessing, for both existing and advanced reactor technologies; and waste management (including transportation, storage, and disposal options) for advanced reactors, and in particular, the potential impact of advanced reactors and their fuel cycles on waste generation and disposal.
Download or read book Environmental Aspects of Advanced Nuclear Fuel Cycles written by Kristina D. Yancey and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Nuclear power has the potential to help reduce rising carbon emissions, but to be considered sustainable, it must also demonstrate the availability of an indefinite fuel supply as well as not produce any significant negative environmental effects. The objective of this research was to evaluate the sustainability of nuclear power and to explore the nuclear fuel cycles that best meet this goal. First, the study quantified current and promising nuclear fuel cycles to be further evaluated and developed a set of objective metrics to describe the environmental effects of each cycle. The metrics included such factors as the amount of waste generated and the isotopic composition of the waste. Next, the evaluation used the International Atomic Energy Agency's Nuclear Fuel Cycle Simulation System to compute nuclide compositions at various stages of the fuel cycles. Finally, the study looked at the radioactivity of the waste generated and used this and other characteristics to determine which fuel cycle meets the objectives of sustainability. Results confirm that incorporating recycling into the fuel cycle would help reduce the volume of waste needing to be stored long-term. Also, calculations made with data from the Nuclear Fuel Cycle Simulation System predicted that the waste from fuel cycles using recycling would be slightly more radiotoxic than the open fuel cycle's waste. However, the small increase in radiotoxicity is a manageable issue and would not detract from the benefits of recycling. Therefore, recycling and reprocessing spent fuel must be incorporated into the nuclear fuel cycle to achieve sustainability.
Download or read book Nuclear Energy and the Environment written by Essam E. El-Hinnawi and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 2013-10-22 with total page 311 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Nuclear Energy and the Environment provides an assessment, based on the opinions and findings of international experts in the field of atomic energy, of the environmental impact of the different stages of the nuclear fuel cycle. Chapters in the book cover different subjects in the use of nuclear energy such as the environmental impacts of energy production and use; the environmental impact of mining and milling of radioactive ores, upgrading processes, and the fabrication of nuclear fuels; none radiological environmental implications of nuclear energy; and the technology and environmental hazards of nuclear waste disposal. Nuclear scientists, environmentalists, ecologists, nuclear engineers, and policy makers will find the book interesting.
Download or read book Evaluating Environmental Health and Safety Impacts from Two Nuclear Fuel Cycles written by Bethany L. Smith and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page 305 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Environmental Aspects of Nuclear Power written by Geoffrey G. Eichholz and published by Butterworth-Heinemann. This book was released on 1977 with total page 712 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Trends Towards Sustainability in the Nuclear Fuel Cycle written by OECD Nuclear Energy Agency and published by Organization for Economic Co-Operation & Developme. This book was released on 2011 with total page 188 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Interest in expanding nuclear power to cope with rising demand for energy and potential climate change places increased attention on the nuclear fuel cycle and whether significant moves are being taken towards ensuring sustainability over the long term. Future nuclear power programme decisions will be increasingly based on strategic considerations involving the complete nuclear fuel cycle, as illustrated by the international joint projects for Generation IV reactors. Currently, 90% of installed reactors worldwide operate on a once-through nuclear fuel cycle using uranium-oxide fuel. While closing the fuel cycle has been a general aim for several decades, progress towards that goal has been slow. This report reviews developments in the fuel cycle over the past ten years, potential developments over the next decade and the outlook for the longer term. It analyses technological developments and government actions (both nationally and internationally) related to the fuel cycle, and examines these within a set of sustainability parameters in order to identify trends and to make recommendations for further action
Download or read book Advanced Nuclear Energy Systems Toward Zero Release of Radioactive Wastes written by M. Saito and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 2002-11-11 with total page 448 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume is a collection of the papers presented at the International Seminar on Advanced Nuclear Energy Systems toward Zero Release of Radioactive Wastes, which was held in Japan in November 2000. Scientists and engineers working in academia, research organizations and industry came together to discuss the role and contributions of nuclear energy to the environmental issues in the new millennium. It provided a forum for open discussions about the pursuit of solutions for the reduction of nuclear wastes based on the accelerator and fusion technologies, in addition to the advanced fission technology to harmonize the nuclear energy systems with the global environment. It also promoted future international collaboration in the following research fields: the role of nuclear energy in the new millennium; waste management; transmutation of minor actinides and fission products; advanced fission systems, accelerator driven systems, fusion systems, nuclear database, and advanced nuclear fuel cycles for transmutation of wastes. Published originally as a special issue (volume 40/3-4) of the international journal Progress in Nuclear Energy.
Download or read book Updated Uranium Fuel Cycle Environmental Impacts for Advanced Reactor Designs written by R. Nitschke and published by . This book was released on 2004 with total page 5 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The purpose of this project was to update the environmental impacts from the uranium fuel cycle for select advanced (GEN III+) reactor designs.
Download or read book Thorium Fuel Cycle written by International Atomic Energy Agency and published by . This book was released on 2005 with total page 120 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Provides a critical review of the thorium fuel cycle: potential benefits and challenges in the thorium fuel cycle, mainly based on the latest developments at the front end of the fuel cycle, applying thorium fuel cycle options, and at the back end of the thorium fuel cycle.
Download or read book The Path to Sustainable Nuclear Energy Basic and Applied Research Opportunities for Advanced Fuel Cycles written by and published by . This book was released on 2005 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The objective of this report is to identify new basic science that will be the foundation for advances in nuclear fuel-cycle technology in the near term, and for changing the nature of fuel cycles and of the nuclear energy industry in the long term. The goals are to enhance the development of nuclear energy, to maximize energy production in nuclear reactor parks, and to minimize radioactive wastes, other environmental impacts, and proliferation risks. The limitations of the once-through fuel cycle can be overcome by adopting a closed fuel cycle, in which the irradiated fuel is reprocessed and its components are separated into streams that are recycled into a reactor or disposed of in appropriate waste forms. The recycled fuel is irradiated in a reactor, where certain constituents are partially transmuted into heavier isotopes via neutron capture or into lighter isotopes via fission. Fast reactors are required to complete the transmutation of long-lived isotopes. Closed fuel cycles are encompassed by the Department of Energy?s Advanced Fuel Cycle Initiative (AFCI), to which basic scientific research can contribute. Two nuclear reactor system architectures can meet the AFCI objectives: a?single-tier? system or a?dual-tier? system. Both begin with light water reactors and incorporate fast reactors. The?dual-tier? systems transmute some plutonium and neptunium in light water reactors and all remaining transuranic elements (TRUs) in a closed-cycle fast reactor. Basic science initiatives are needed in two broad areas:? Near-term impacts that can enhance the development of either?single-tier? or?dual-tier? AFCI systems, primarily within the next 20 years, through basic research. Examples: Dissolution of spent fuel, separations of elements for TRU recycling and transmutation Design, synthesis, and testing of inert matrix nuclear fuels and non-oxide fuels Invention and development of accurate on-line monitoring systems for chemical and nuclear species in the nuclear fuel cycle Development of advanced tools for designing reactors with reduced margins and lower costs? Long-term nuclear reactor development requires basic science breakthroughs: Understanding of materials behavior under extreme environmental conditions Creation of new, efficient, environmentally benign chemical separations methods Modeling and simulation to improve nuclear reaction cross-section data, design new materials and separation system, and propagate uncertainties within the fuel cycle Improvement of proliferation resistance by strengthening safeguards technologies and decreasing the attractiveness of nuclear materials A series of translational tools is proposed to advance the AFCI objectives and to bring the basic science concepts and processes promptly into the technological sphere. These tools have the potential to revolutionize the approach to nuclear engineering R & D by replacing lengthy experimental campaigns with a rigorous approach based on modeling, key fundamental experiments, and advanced simulations.
Download or read book Environment and Nuclear Energy written by Behram N. Kursunogammalu and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2013-06-29 with total page 287 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Developed from the Global Foundation's International Conference on Environment and Nuclear Energy, held in October 1997, this volume examines the impact of nuclear energy on regional and global environmental issues under a variety of scenarios. These include competition in deregulated energy environments, constraints levied upon use of fossil energy, and possible expansion of nuclear power into energy sectors beyond the generation of electricity, process heat, and fuels production. It also assesses the overall role of nuclear energy in meeting future energy needs arising from growing world populations and economic development.
Download or read book Impact of Separation Capacity on Transition to Advanced Fuel Cycles written by Abiodun I. Adeniyi and published by . This book was released on 2013 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: One of the proposed solutions to the issue of nuclear waste volume is to transition from once through nuclear fuel cycle to advanced fuel cycles with used fuel recycling option. In any advanced fuel cycles with recycling options, the type and amount of separation technology deployed play a crucial role in the overall performance of the fuel cycle. In this work, a scenario study involving two advanced fuel cycles in addition to the once through fuel cycle were evaluated using VISION nuclear fuel cycle simulation code. The advanced fuel cycles were setup to transition completely to full recycling without any light water reactor by assuming all LWR currently in operation will have 20 years of operating life extension and no new LWR will be constructed thereafter. Several different separation capacities (1kT/yr, 2kT/yr and 4 kT/yr) were deployed and the overall impact of these capacities was analyzed in terms of resources utilization, used fuel and waste material generated and the amount of storage space required. Economic parameter (LCOE, LFCC, etc) analysis was also performed using VISION. ECON. Results presented in this work suggest that the need for LWR-UNF storage can be minimized if sufficient separation capacity is deployed early in the fuel cycle. It can also be concluded that a FuRe system without LEU will not be feasible, thus SFRs must be designed for optional use of LEU fuel. Otherwise LWRs must continue to be part of the mix to keep the near term cost of generating electricity competitive. It was observed that the higher amount of separation capacity deployed in the advanced fuel cycles led to higher LFCC and LCOE, but also translates into less environmental impact on both front and back end of the fuel cycle.
Download or read book Nuclear Power and the Environment written by Royal Society of Chemistry (Great Britain) and published by Royal Society of Chemistry. This book was released on 2011 with total page 247 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Reviews the political and social context for nuclear power generation, the nuclear fuel cycles and their implications for the environment.
Download or read book The Environmental Impacts of the Nuclear Fuel Cycle written by and published by . This book was released on 1975 with total page 29 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book ADVANCED NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE EFFECTS ON THE TREATMENT OF UNCERTAINTY IN THE LONG TERM ASSESSMENT OF GEOLOGIC DISPOSAL SYSTEMS EBS INPUT written by and published by . This book was released on 2012 with total page 39 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Used Fuel Disposition (UFD) Campaign within the Department of Energy's Office of Nuclear Energy (DOE-NE) Fuel Cycle Technology (FCT) program has been tasked with investigating the disposal of the nation's spent nuclear fuel (SNF) and high-level nuclear waste (HLW) for a range of potential waste forms and geologic environments. The planning, construction, and operation of a nuclear disposal facility is a long-term process that involves engineered barriers that are tailored to both the geologic environment and the waste forms being emplaced. The UFD Campaign is considering a range of fuel cycles that in turn produce a range of waste forms. The UFD Campaign is also considering a range of geologic media. These ranges could be thought of as adding uncertainty to what the disposal facility design will ultimately be; however, it may be preferable to thinking about the ranges as adding flexibility to design of a disposal facility. For example, as the overall DOE-NE program and industrial actions result in the fuel cycles that will produce waste to be disposed, and the characteristics of those wastes become clear, the disposal program retains flexibility in both the choice of geologic environment and the specific repository design. Of course, other factors also play a major role, including local and State-level acceptance of the specific site that provides the geologic environment. In contrast, the Yucca Mountain Project (YMP) repository license application (LA) is based on waste forms from an open fuel cycle (PWR and BWR assemblies from an open fuel cycle). These waste forms were about 90% of the total waste, and they were the determining waste form in developing the engineered barrier system (EBS) design for the Yucca Mountain Repository design. About 10% of the repository capacity was reserved for waste from a full recycle fuel cycle in which some actinides were extracted for weapons use, and the remaining fission products and some minor actinides were encapsulated in borosilicate glass. Because the heat load of the glass was much less than the PWR and BWR assemblies, the glass waste form was able to be co-disposed with the open cycle waste, by interspersing glass waste packages among the spent fuel assembly waste packages. In addition, the Yucca Mountain repository was designed to include some research reactor spent fuel and naval reactor spent fuel, within the envelope that was set using the commercial reactor assemblies as the design basis waste form. This milestone report supports Sandia National Laboratory milestone M2FT-12SN0814052, and is intended to be a chapter in that milestone report. The independent technical review of this LLNL milestone was performed at LLNL and is documented in the electronic Information Management (IM) system at LLNL. The objective of this work is to investigate what aspects of quantifying, characterizing, and representing the uncertainty associated with the engineered barrier are affected by implementing different advanced nuclear fuel cycles (e.g., partitioning and transmutation scenarios) together with corresponding designs and thermal constraints.
Download or read book The Nuclear Fuel Cycle written by Nicholas Tsoulfanidis and published by . This book was released on 2013 with total page 463 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Nuclear Power written by Pavel Tsvetkov and published by BoD – Books on Demand. This book was released on 2011-09-09 with total page 526 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: We are fortunate to live in incredibly exciting and incredibly challenging time. Energy demands due to economic growth and increasing population must be satisfied in a sustainable manner assuring inherent safety, efficiency and no or minimized environmental impact. These considerations are among the reasons that lead to serious interest in deploying nuclear power as a sustainable energy source. At the same time, catastrophic earthquake and tsunami events in Japan resulted in the nuclear accident that forced us to rethink our approach to nuclear safety, design requirements and facilitated growing interests in advanced nuclear energy systems. This book is one in a series of books on nuclear power published by InTech. It consists of six major sections housing twenty chapters on topics from the key subject areas pertinent to successful development, deployment and operation of nuclear power systems worldwide. The book targets everyone as its potential readership groups - students, researchers and practitioners - who are interested to learn about nuclear power.
