Toxicity Reduction with Total Volume Control in Nuclear Waste. (1st February 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Fukaya, Yuji; Ueta, Shohei; Yamamoto, Tomohiko; Chikazawa, Yoshitaka; Yan, Xing L.
• Is Part Of: Nuclear technology. Volume 208:Number 2(2022)
• Page Start: 335
• Page End: 346
• Publication Date: 2022-02-01
• Subjects: Nuclear waste -- total volume control -- toxicity -- accelerator, transmutation; Nuclear engineering -- Periodicals; Nuclear engineering; Nuclear Physics; Periodicals; Periodicals; 621.48
• DOI: 10.1080/00295450.2021.1901001
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1943-7471

Abstract

Abstract: When total volume control is applied to toxicity in nuclear waste management it becomes a limiting factor for the permittable total operating capacity of nuclear reactors. An alternative conceptual scenario is proposed, aimed at toxicity reduction through partitioning and transmutation. Specifically, the electricity generation capacity could be increased by transmutation of 90 Sr and 137 Cs. Simultaneously, the cooling time before disposal is reduced to 50 years from the 300 years required by existing scenarios, such as the accelerator-driven system. Finally, the scenario is also found to be feasible in terms of energy balance and cost, using an Li(d, xn) reaction neutron source with a deuteron accelerator for transmutation.