Project description
Recycling novel spent nuclear fuels will enhance safety and reduce costs and materials’ use
The nuclear energy industry is ramping up recycling. The EU-funded FREDMANS project will develop concepts for both alternative fuels and recycling of spent fuel. The team will focus on nitride fuels. These more fissile dense materials with higher thermal conductivity than conventional oxide fuel can both enhance operational safety and reduce costs. Further, FREDMANS will explore recycling not only the fissile material but also the required and expensive isotopically enriched N-15. The project will cover the entire advanced manufacturing, recyclability, waste management and industrial applications with special attention given to safety throughout, as well as to training and education.
Objective
FREDMANS aims to increase safety and efficiency in both nuclear power production as well as the recycling of spent fuel. Changing from oxide fuel to a more fissile dense material with higher thermal conductivity can enhance both safety of operation and the economic impact of nuclear power. At the same time, a transition to a greener society with respect to both the generation and usage of electricity will drastically increase consumption of finite materials. Generation is predicted to increase by 16?20 times, in particular as electrification replaces the direct use of fossil fuels for heating and transportation. The nuclear industry can mitigate their part of the resource use through the recycling of spent nuclear fuel. This can enhance the actual power output by about 20 times. However, today there has been no full industrial demonstration of the complete recycling of nuclear fuel, although one time recycling, including of plutonium, has been used on large scale for many years e.g. in France.
The model fuel is nitride fuel. It may be more energy efficient/economically advantageous to recycle not only the fissile material, but also the required isotopically enriched N-15 that is otherwise currently a costly raw material.
The project sets objectives that address the overall goals of the SET plan, SNETP and EERA JPNM SRA to answer the specific aims of this call relating to the safety of advanced fuels and their recyclability, in particular nitrides highlighted in the call. We will prove that advanced fuels are a viable option for industrial use that can enhance the safety, sustainability and economics of nuclear power operation.
The work packages are: Advanced Manufacturing, Recyclability, Waste Management, and Industrial Applications. Across all these WPs, the crucial aspect of safety is held in high focus.As the real safety of future nuclear systems is achieved through well educated people, an extensive Training & Education work package is included.
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EURATOM-RIA - EURATOM Research and Innovation ActionsCoordinator
412 96 GOTEBORG
Sweden