| Project Detail |
The U.S. has accumulated approximately 86,000 metric tons of used nuclear fuel (UNF) from light-water reactors (LWRs), a value that increases by approximately 2,000 tons per year. This UNF is destined for permanent disposal even though more than 90% of its energy remains. Innovative technologies that enable the secure, economical reprocessing of the nation’s LWR UNF could substantially reduce the volume, heat load, and radiotoxicity of waste requiring permanent disposal while providing a valuable and sustainable fuel feedstock for advanced fast reactors. CURIE seeks to research innovative separations technologies, material accountancy, and online monitoring technologies, as well as designs for a reprocessing facility that will enable group recovery of actinides for advanced reactor (AR) feedstocks, incorporate in situ process monitoring, minimize waste volumes, enable a 1¢/kilowatt-hour (kWh) fuel cost for AR fuels, and maintain disposal costs in the range of 0.1¢/kWh.
Project Innovation + Advantages:
Mainstream Engineering will research a series of vacuum swing separation unit operations to separate and capture volatile radionuclides from the off-gassing of UNF aqueous reprocessing facility operations. Off-gas management and disposal accounts for roughly 13% of aqueous reprocessing systems’ capital costs and at least 10% of their operating costs for product/waste containers and utilities. The vacuum swing adsorption units researched in this project will contain targeted, specific adsorbents for the removal and concentration of radionuclides to maximize the overall process efficiency, decrease the life cycle capital and operating costs for off-gas management and disposal, and minimize waste that must be stored. These compact units could potentially reduce the amount of shielded area required, simplify off-gas logistics, and reduce energy needs while they ensure the capture of more than 99.9% of volatile radionuclides.
Potential Impact:
By enabling the secure and economical recycling of the nation’s inventory of LWR UNF, CURIE will have the following impacts: |
