Fast Reactors and Accelerator Driven Systems Knowledge Base

Conference Article: Overview of partitioning and transmutation study at PNC

Abstract

The management of high level radioactive waste (HLW) generated from the reprocessing of spent fuel is essential for the completion of nuclear fuel cycle. Current national policy in Japan is to solidify the HLW into a stable form and to dispose it in a deep geological repository after 30 to 50 years of storage for decay heat cooling. In PNC, many R and D efforts have been devoted to establish technologies for its safety disposal and methodologies for its safety assessment. In parallel with the national project mentioned above, the Japan's Atomic Energy Commission approved the ''Long-Term Program for Research and Development on Nuclide Partitioning and Transmutation'' in October 1988. The objective of the program is to explore a possibility to utilize HLW as useful resources and to make the geological disposal more efficient. This program is called ''OMEGA''. The program is composed of two major R and D areas: the nuclide partitioning from HLW based on its half life and its potential value for utilization and the transmutation of minor actinides (MA) and long-lived fission products (FP) to short-lived or stable nuclides. It is important to note that this program has been conducted as a long-term basic research, not as a national project. Based on the ''OMEGA'' program, partitioning and transmutation(P-T) studies have been conducted in PNC as a part of frontier research. This paper describes PNC's approach, present status and future plans for P-T.

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Reference:

Safety and environmental aspects of partitioning and transmutation of actinides and fission products. Proceedings of a technical committee meeting, Vienna, 29 November - 2 December 1993

International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna (Austria)

IAEA-TECDOC--783, pp:115-135