1. Prospective inventory of radioactive materials and waste produced by the French nuclear fleet according to various options
- Author
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Chabert, C., Touron, E., Saturnin, A., Krivtchik, G., Girotto, J.-L., Mathonnière, G., Eschback, R., Gabriel, S., Martin, G., Miranda, P., Courtin, F., Allou, A., Boccaccio, R., Giffard, F.-X., Bonin, A., Casoli, P., Laugier, F., Carlier, B., Senentz, G., CADARACHE, Bibliothèque, CEA-Direction des Energies (ex-Direction de l'Energie Nucléaire) (CEA-DES (ex-DEN)), Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA), EDF (EDF), FRAMATOME, ORANO, and The authors are grateful to EDF, Orano and Framatome for their support on this work through the CEA research programme on the back-end of the fuel cycle.
- Subjects
REP ,[PHYS.NUCL] Physics [physics]/Nuclear Theory [nucl-th] ,[PHYS.NUCL]Physics [physics]/Nuclear Theory [nucl-th] ,[PHYS.NEXP] Physics [physics]/Nuclear Experiment [nucl-ex] ,Multirecyclage du Plutonium ,Scenario ,RNR ,[PHYS.NEXP]Physics [physics]/Nuclear Experiment [nucl-ex] ,PNGMDR - Abstract
International audience; In accordance with the French Act of 28 June 2006 on the sustainable management of radioactive materials andwaste, this paper summarises the technical characterisation of prospective scenarios using different fuel cycleoptions: open cycle, recycling of plutonium and uranium in PWRs (current option for the French nuclear powerfleet), multiple recycling of plutonium in SFRs, and multiple recycling of plutonium in PWRs. This informationhas been submitted by the CEA to the Ministry of Energy within the scope of Article 51 of the Ministerial Orderdated 23 February on the French National Radioactive Materials and Waste Management Plan (PNGMDR).Rather than imagining the large-scale replacement of PWRs by fast reactors within a short period of time (theassumption of some past studies), it was decided to study a scenario involving a more progressive deployment onthe basis of existing materials and facilities. This solution appears to be better suited to the dynamics oftechnical progress in the field, while providing greater flexibility to adapt to societal changes. The path for thisscenario is marked by successive milestones (stages), with each corresponding to an increased deployment offast reactors with their own increasingly ambitious objectives.Phase A corresponds to the current state of the French nuclear reactor fleet wherein plutonium and uranium arerecycled in mixed-oxide (MOX) and enriched reprocessed uranium (ERU) fuels in pressurised water reactors(PWR). Phase B consists in recycling spent MOX fuel from PWRs in a limited number of SFRs. The objective ofthis phase is to stabilise the quantities of spent MOX fuels from light water reactors. Phase C is designed to beable to stabilise the plutonium inventory by deploying a symbiotic fleet comprising UOX-PWRs, MOX-PWRs andSFRs. The objective of phase D is to deploy a fleet of reactors that no longer burns natural uranium. There aretwo possible options for a nuclear fleet that can generally be considered as self-sufficient, i.e. D1, ahomogeneous fleet with 100% SFRs, and D2, a mixed fleet comprising breeder SFRs producing plutonium andPWRs fuelled with 100% MOX to burn this plutonium.However, SFRs may not become economically competitive in the next few decades if uranium resources remainreadily available, and MOX spent fuels may start to pile up at the back-end of the fuel cycle unless alternativeplutonium management solutions in PWRs are found. In this study, advanced fuel batches, called CORAIL andMIX, are applied to enable multiple recycling in standard PWRs.The CORAIL concept involves placing both MOX fuel rods with depleted uranium support structures and UOXfuel rods in the same fuel assembly. A configuration based on 84 MOX fuel rods and 181 UOX fuel rods wasstudied in the early 2000s, which is why it has been chosen for the first scenario in this paper. As the enrichmentof UOX rods is maximised at 5%, the plutonium content is adapted to make up for its loss of fissile quality witheach recycling phase.The MIX concept is based on a fuel assembly containing only MOX fuel rods with enriched uranium supportstructures. The purpose in this case is to limit the plutonium content in the fuel to a level similar to that ofcurrent MOX fuels and to meet any additional needs in fissile nuclei by providing enriched uranium in thesupport. The greater the isotopic degradation of plutonium, the greater the enrichment will be, which will beincreased with each recycling phase to make sure $^{235}$U is stabilised at around 3% to 4%. Three plutoniumcontents have been considered in our study: 8%, 9.54% and 12%.This paper assesses the material flows and inventories for these various options on the basis of two approaches:1) static (or in equilibrium) by supposing that each option is artificially maintained long enough, and 2) dynamic(for transition scenarios).The total disposal surface area required for each of the different options is also discussed on the basis of theAndra disposal concept. The assessment of the resulting waste volumes depending on the option is given inanother paper, also presented at this conference.
- Published
- 2019