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Content archived on 2024-04-15

COMPARISON OF WASTE MANAGEMENT ASPECTS OF DIRECT DISPOSAL OF SPENT FUEL AND REPROCESSING.

Objective

THE OVERALL AIM OF THE WHOLE JOINT PROJECT IS TO COMPARE, ON THE BASIS OF THE COSTS AND RADIOLOGICAL IMPACT OF THE MANAGEMENT AND DISPOSAL OF ALL THE ASSOCIATED WASTES, REPROCESSING OF LIGHT WATER REACTOR FUEL WITH ITS DIRECT DISPOSAL BY EMPLACEMENT IN A DEEP GEOLOGICAL FORMATION ON LAND. THREE MAIN MANAGEMENT ROUTES ARE CONSIDERED:

- IMMEDIATE REPROCESSING OF SPENT FUEL AFTER 3 YEARS OF COOLING IN PONDS;
- NO REPROCESSING: IMMEDIATE DISPOSAL AFTER SHORT COOLING TIME AND POSSIBLY ROD CONSOLIDATION.

IN THE PART OF THE PROJECT COVERED BY THIS STUDY, THE AIM IS TO COMPARE IMMEDIATE REPROCESSING AND DELAYED REPROCESSING.

THE QUANTITY OF FUEL TO BE CONSIDERED WILL BE THAT ARISING IN A HYPOTHETICAL 20 GW(E) REACTOR PARK CONSISTING OF PWRS, OVER A PERIOD OF 30 YEARS. THE FUEL IS TO BE REPROCESSED EITHER AFTER A SHORT COOLING TIME, OR AFTER AN INTERIM STORAGE TIME OF UP TO 50 YEARS IN A PLANT WITH A 600 MTHM/YEAR CAPACITY. THE CEA STUDY WILL ONLY DEAL WITH THE REPROCESSING OPTION. THE MAIN ITEMS OF THE PROGRAMME ARE AS FOLLOWS:

1. DATA BASE AND WASTE INVENTORY: THE 20 GWE NUCLEAR PARK IS ASSUMED TO CONSIST OF STANDARD PWR REACTORS, THE BURN-UP OF THE FUEL BEING 33,000 MWD/MTHM.
2. EXTENDED STORAGE: THIS PART TAKES INTO ACCOUNT TWO SUCCESSIVE STEPS: THE FIRST ONE IS A STORAGE AT REACTOR (AR) AND THE SECOND ONE IS A CENTRALISED STORAGE (AFR = AWAY FROM REACTOR).
3. LIQUID WASTE TREATMENT SCENARIOS: THE INVENTORIES OF REPROCESSING WASTE PRODUCTS WILL BE DETERMINED TAKING INTO ACCOUNT THE SITE CHARACTERISTICS (DISCHARGE LIMITS) AND THE WASTE TREATMENT SCHEME SELECTED.
4. FINAL DISPOSAL: FOLLOWING MAIN SCENARIOS, THE CONDITIONED WASTE ARISINGS ARE CLASSIFIED IN:
- LLW FOR WHICH THE FINAL STORAGE IS IN SHALLOW LAND BURIAL;
- MLW WILL BE DISPOSED OF IN GEOLOGICAL FORMATION;
- HLW WILL BE DISPOSED OF IN GEOLOGICAL FORMATION AFTER A COOLING TIME FROM SOME YEARS UP TO 50 YEARS.
5. TRANSPORT: THE CASKS FOR TRANSPORT OF THE CONDITIONED WASTES ARE THOSE IN USE BY COGEMA.
6. COST EVALUATION: THE COST DATA CONCERNING THE DIFFERENT SCENARIOS WILL BE COMPOSED OF COSTS FROM EXISTING FACILITIES OR ESTIMATED COSTS FROM VARIOUS PROJECTS.
7. RADIOLOGICAL IMPACT: THE RADIOLOGICAL IMPACT TO THE PUBLIC WILL BE ASSESSED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE METHODOLOGY DEVELOPED BY CEA/IPSN.
8. SENSITIVITY STUDIES: THOSE WILL DEAL WITH VARIATION OF BURN-UP (UP TO 45,000 MWD/T), VARIATION OF THE SIZE OF THE NUCLEAR PARK, TREATMENT OF MOX FUELS, VARIATION OF THE DISPOSAL CRITERIA AND DISCHARGE LIMITS (COASTAL AND INLAND SITES) AND TYPE OF PACKAGING.

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Coordinator

Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique (CEA)
EU contribution
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Address
Centre d'Études de Fontenay-aux-Roses
92265 Fontenay-aux-Roses
France

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