The_Nuclear_Fuel_Cycle__Dr_Okan_Zabunoglu课件.ppt

The Nuclear Fuel Cycle Dr. Okan Zabuno?lu Hacettepe University Department of Nuclear Engineering Front End of the NFC (before the reactor) Back End of the NFC (after the reactor) Fresh and Spent LWR Fuels U-235: 3.3 w/o U: 95.5 w/o U-238: 96.7 w/o U-235: 0.83 w/o Pu: 0.9 w/o Fissile Pu: 70 w/o FPs: 3.5 w/o Other Actinides: 0.1 w/o The Standard Reprocessing PUREX: Solvent extraction with tri-butyl phosphate Co-decontamination of U+Pu from FPs (producing a HLW solution) and partitioning of U and Pu. Products: a pure U and a pure Pu solution. Recovered U (sufficiently decontaminated from fission products to be handled by direct-contact): Enrich and fabricate. Recovered Pu (highly pure): Blend it with a fertile makeup (depleted U, natural U, or recovered U from reprocessing) to adjust its fissile content and fabricate into mixed-oxide (MOX) fuel. Requirements in a civilized LWR cycle Contradiction: Plutonium product of reprocessing is to be blended with a fertile makeup (depleted, natural, or recovered U) before being loaded into a reactor. Then, why in the first place separate Pu in a highly pure form?! It is not necessary to produce pure Pu in reprocessing. About 93-95 % U in Pu is an appropriate fraction for MOX fuel. In addition, since Pu has an inherent beta (and gamma) activity, it is not required to decontaminate Pu from the fission products by a great extent. Alternative Reprocessing Schemes Modified Purex Partial co-processing (Products: U+Pu and U) C