HTGR Knowledge Base

Conference Article: Research, development and demonstration work on interim and final storage of HTR fuel elements

Kaiser, G.; Brinkmann, U. (Kernforschungsanlage Juelich GmbH, Projektleitung Hochtemperaturreaktor-Brennstoffkreislauf, Juelich (Germany)); Duwe, R. (Kernforschungsanlage Juelich GmbH, Institut fuer Reaktorwerkstoffe, Juelich (Germany))

Abstract

Mixed thorium/uranium oxide of 93% uranium enrichment had been the reference fuel for the pebble-bed type High Temperature Gas-cooled Reactors (HTR) in the Federal Republic of Germany until 1979, and the 15 MWe experimental power plant AVR uses and the 300 MWe prototype HTR plant THTR will use this type of fuel accordingly. In 1979, however, non-proliferation aspects, difficulties envisaged with the long-term supply of high enriched uranium plus the aspects of utilizing the existing PUREX technology for the recovery of uranium and plutonium from the spent HTR fuel led to change into a Low Enriched Uranium (LEU) fuel. Follow-on reactors will be fueled with uranium oxide only with initial enrichment of around 10%. For the limited amount of spent fuel from the THTR- plus that from the AVR plant, which will come into the range of 3.5 million fueled pebbles total by the year 2005, reprocessing seems not attractive and uneconomical. Present planning therefor calls for terminal storage of this type of fuel whilst for the future LEU type the spent fuel treatment strategy is kept open for both the options on reprocessing and terminal storage.

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key words: Gas Cooled Reactor, Nuclear Technology
Reference:
Specialists' meeting on gas-cooled reactor fuel development and spent fuel treatment Moscow (Russian Federation) 18-21 Oct 1983
International Atomic Energy Agency, International Working Group on Gas-Cooled Reactors, Vienna (Austria); State Committee on the Utilisation of Atomic Energy of the USSR, Moscow (Russian Federation)
IWGGCR--8, pp:303-314