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    Research Reactor Spent Fuel Management: Options and Support to Decision Making
    Research Reactor Spent Fuel Management: Options and Support to Decision Making
    Research Reactor Spent Fuel Management: Options and Support to Decision Making
    Ebook300 pages2 hoursIAEA Nuclear Energy Series

    Research Reactor Spent Fuel Management: Options and Support to Decision Making

    By IAEA

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    This publication, resulting from an IAEA coordinated research project (CRP), provides information about available strategies for research reactor spent fuel management, and presents a decision methodology to assist those selecting among several options, to identify the preferred approach for their specific situation. The decision support tools were developed to consider not only the cost of the possible research reactor spent fuel management strategies, but also the non-economic factors that might influence their selection. Examples of the technologies that are currently used by some IAEA Member States are provided. Additionally, this publication provides information about the Excel based decision-support tools developed as part of this CRP, along with case studies and tutorials to assist users.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherInternational Atomic Energy Agency
    Release dateDec 14, 2021
    ISBN9789201202215
    Research Reactor Spent Fuel Management: Options and Support to Decision Making

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      Book preview

      Research Reactor Spent Fuel Management - IAEA

      1.png

      RESEARCH REACTOR

      SPENT FUEL MANAGEMENT:

      OPTIONS AND SUPPORT TO

      DECISION MAKING

      IAEA NUCLEAR ENERGY SERIES No. NF-T-3.9

      RESEARCH REACTOR

      SPENT FUEL MANAGEMENT:

      OPTIONS AND SUPPORT TO

      DECISION MAKING

      INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY

      VIENNA, 2021

      COPYRIGHT NOTICE

      All IAEA scientific and technical publications are protected by the terms of the Universal Copyright Convention as adopted in 1952 (Berne) and as revised in 1972 (Paris). The copyright has since been extended by the World Intellectual Property Organization (Geneva) to include electronic and virtual intellectual property. Permission to use whole or parts of texts contained in IAEA publications in printed or electronic form must be obtained and is usually subject to royalty agreements. Proposals for non-commercial reproductions and translations are welcomed and considered on a case-by-case basis. Enquiries should be addressed to the IAEA Publishing Section at:

      Marketing and Sales Unit, Publishing Section

      International Atomic Energy Agency

      Vienna International Centre

      PO Box 100

      1400 Vienna, Austria

      fax: +43 1 26007 22529

      tel.: +43 1 2600 22417

      email: [email protected]

      www.iaea.org/publications

      © IAEA, 2021

      Printed by the IAEA in Austria

      December 2021

      STI/PUB/1954

      IAEA Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

      Names: International Atomic Energy Agency.

      Title: Research reactor spent fuel management : options and support to decision making / International Atomic Energy Agency.

      Description: Vienna : International Atomic Energy Agency, 2021. | Series: IAEA nuclear energy series, ISSN 1995–7807 ; no. NF-T-3.9 | Includes bibliographical references.

      Identifiers: IAEAL 21-01448 | ISBN 978–92–0–120021–1 (paperback : alk. paper) | ISBN 978–92–0–120121–8 (pdf) | ISBN 978–92–0–120221–5 (epub)

      Subjects: LCSH: Spent reactor fuels — Management. | Radioactive wastes — Management. | Reactor fuel reprocessing. | Nuclear reactors — Safety measures.

      Classification: UDC 621.039.59 | STI/PUB/1954

      FOREWORD

      The IAEA’s statutory role is to seek to accelerate and enlarge the contribution of atomic energy to peace, health and prosperity throughout the world. Among other functions, the Agency is authorized to foster the exchange of scientific and technical information on peaceful uses of atomic energy. One way this is achieved is through a range of technical publications including the IAEA Nuclear Energy Series.

      The IAEA Nuclear Energy Series comprises publications designed to further the use of nuclear technologies in support of sustainable development, to advance nuclear science and technology, catalyse innovation and build capacity to support the existing and expanded use of nuclear power and nuclear science applications. The publications include information covering all policy, technological and management aspects of the definition and implementation of activities involving the peaceful use of nuclear technology.

      The IAEA safety standards establish fundamental principles, requirements and recommendations to ensure nuclear safety and serve as a global reference for protecting people and the environment from harmful effects of ionizing radiation.

      When IAEA Nuclear Energy Series publications address safety, it is ensured that the IAEA safety standards are referred to as the current boundary conditions for the application of nuclear technology.

      Research reactors are operated in more than 50 countries around the world and play an important role in science, industry and medicine. Each country is responsible for the radioactive waste derived from its research reactor operations, including research reactor spent nuclear fuel (RRSNF). An effective RRSNF management plan comprises the management of the RRSNF from its removal from the research reactor core until its final disposal, and may include interim stages such as storage, conditioning and reprocessing, either domestically or abroad.

      To help Member States address their RRSNF responsibilities, the IAEA organized a three year coordinated research project entitled Options and Technologies for Managing the Back End of the Research Reactor Nuclear Fuel Cycle. The goal of the project and of this resulting publication was to provide a comprehensive set of RRSNF management strategies and to assist in the decision making process for selecting the preferred option for each Member State’s situation. A set of decision support tools was developed to consider not only the costs of the possible RRSNF management strategies but also the non-economic factors that might influence their selection. These tools and the tutorials on their use are available for download as supplementary files on the publication’s individual web page at www.⁠iaea.⁠org⁠/⁠publications.

      The IAEA wishes to thank all of those who participated in the CRP and helped in the drafting and preparation of this publication. The IAEA officers responsible for this publication were F. Marshall and S. Geupel of the Division of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology.

      EDITORAL NOTE

      This publication has been edited by the editorial staff of the IAEA to the extent considered necessary for the reader’s assistance. It does not address questions of responsibility, legal or otherwise, for acts or omissions on the part of any person.

      Although great care has been taken to maintain the accuracy of information contained in this publication, neither the IAEA nor its Member States assume any responsibility for consequences which may arise from its use.

      Guidance provided here, describing good practices, represents expert opinion but does not constitute recommendations made on the basis of a consensus of Member States.

      The use of particular designations of countries or territories does not imply any judgement by the publisher, the IAEA, as to the legal status of such countries or territories, of their authorities and institutions or of the delimitation of their boundaries.

      The mention of names of specific companies or products (whether or not indicated as registered) does not imply any intention to infringe proprietary rights, nor should it be construed as an endorsement or recommendation on the part of the IAEA.

      The IAEA has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for external or third party Internet web sites referred to in this book and does not guarantee that any content on such web sites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate.

      The authoritative version of this publication is the hard copy issued at the same time and available as pdf on www.iaea.org/publications. To create this version for e-readers, certain changes have been made, including a the movement of some figures and tables.

      CONTENTS

      1. INTRODUCTION

      1.1. Background

      1.2. Scope

      1.3. Objectives

      1.4. Structure

      2. TECHNOLOGIES FOR RRSNF MANAGEMENT

      2.1. Storage

      2.2. Conditioning

      2.3. Reprocessing

      2.4. Transportation

      2.5. Management of damaged RRSNF

      2.6. Geological disposal

      2.7. Fuel return programmes

      3. SPENT FUEL MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES AND SCENARIOS

      4. FACTORS FOR EVALUATING RRSNF OPTIONS

      4.1. Legal and regulatory considerations

      4.2. Industrial and technical considerations

      4.3. Political support

      4.4. Public acceptance

      4.5. Human resources

      4.6. Environmental impact

      4.7. Regional and international partnerships

      5. DECISION-SUPPORT FRAMEWORK TOOLS

      5.1. Overview and use of the models

      5.2. BRIDE

      5.3. FERREX

      6. SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS

      REFERENCES

      Annex I: CURRENT RRSNF MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES IN PARTICIPATING MEMBER STATES

      Annex II: COUNTRY CASE STUDIES

      GLOSSARY

      INTRODUCTION TO THE SUPPLEMENTARY FILES

      ABBREVIATIONS

      CONTRIBUTORS TO DRAFTING AND REVIEW

      STRUCTURE OF THE IAEA NUCLEAR ENERGY SERIES

      1. INTRODUCTION

      This IAEA publication summarizes the results of the Coordinated Research Project (CRP) T33001 on Options and Technologies for Managing the Back End of the Research Reactor Nuclear Fuel Cycle, which took place from 2015 to 2018 with the participation of 16 institutions from 15 Member States.

      1.1. Background

      Research reactors (RRs) are used worldwide for activities such as the education of nuclear scientists and engineers, for general and refresher training of the nuclear power workforce, to produce medical and industrial radioisotopes, for silicon doping, to perform advanced fuel and material testing to support life extension of operating nuclear power plants (NPPs), to validate safety analysis design methods for new power plants, to qualify new fuels, and to validate modelling and calculation tools. RRs are also key tools in building and maintaining national nuclear capacity and achieving public acceptance of nuclear technologies [1]. As of March 2019, there are 227 RRs operating around the world, with another 23 planned or in construction [2]. An additional 136 RRs are in extended or permanent shutdown, or under decommissioning.

      There is a clear and unequivocal understanding that each country is ethically and legally responsible for its own spent fuel and nuclear waste, as stated by both the IAEA, via the Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management [3], and by the international nuclear waste disposal concepts [4] summarized by the World Nuclear Association (WNA). Member States operating or having previously operated a RR (research reactor) are responsible for the safe, secure and sustainable management of associated radioactive waste, including RR spent nuclear fuel (RRSNF). This includes the storage and ultimate disposal of conditioned RRSNF, or the corresponding equivalent waste generated and returned following reprocessing of the spent fuel.

      The main objective in managing and disposing of radioactive waste is to protect people, including future generations, and the environment. Regional or national laws and directives provide a regulatory framework for the management of spent fuel. The IAEA provides Member States with safety standards, guidelines and good practice examples to enable them to establish and maintain a responsible waste management programme.

      Selection and implementation of the most appropriate nuclear waste management programme can be very challenging considering the numerous elements and factors that must be addressed, such as technological feasibility, economics, social acceptance and environmental impact. The aim of this publication is to support RR operating organizations and Member States in developing a spent fuel management programme, including final disposal, that is sustainable, is secure [5], and complies with international and national regulations.

      One key challenge when developing general recommendations for RRSNF management options lies in the diversity of spent fuel types, locations and national or regional circumstances, rather than mass or volume alone, particularly since typical RRSNF inventories are relatively small. Presently, many countries lack an effective long term policy for managing RRSNF. A methodical review and compilation of technology options for RRSNF management is therefore needed.

      1.1.1. IAEA initiatives related to RRSNF issues

      The importance of the RRSNF management challenge has been highlighted in past IAEA publications and workshops. One of the first reports, IAEA-TECDOC-1508, Spent Fuel Management Options for Research Reactors in Latin America [6], originated from a regional Technical Cooperation project. Reference [6] summarizes the results of this project in identifying and assessing a number of viable alternatives for RRSNF management from five participating countries (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico and Peru). The basic conditions for a regional strategy for managing spent fuel, the options for operational and interim storage, spent fuel conditioning and final disposal were considered.

      Based on requests from Member States, the IAEA has continued to address elements of RRSNF management. Other IAEA publications about RRSNF storage are Management and Storage of Research Reactor Spent Nuclear Fuel: Proceedings of a Technical Meeting held in Thurso, United Kingdom, 19–22 October 2009 [7], IAEA-TECDOC-1637, Corrosion of Research Reactor Aluminium Clad Spent Fuel in Water [8], IAEA Nuclear Energy Series No. NP-T-5.2, Good Practices for Water Quality Management in Research Reactors and Spent Fuel Storage Facilities [9], and IAEA Nuclear Energy Series No. NW-T-1.11, Available Reprocessing and Recycling Services for Research Reactor Spent Nuclear Fuel [10].

      Starting in the 1990s, along with the efforts of RR operating organizations to eliminate the use of highly enriched uranium (HEU), several countries have taken advantage of the so-called ‘take back’ programmes supported by the IAEA, the Russian Federation and the United States of America. These initiatives include the United States of America’s Foreign Research Reactor Spent Nuclear Fuel (FRRSNF) acceptance programme and the Russian Research Reactor Fuel Return (RRRFR) programme.

      In 2006, the IAEA organized a Technical Meeting on National Experiences on Return of Research Reactor Spent Fuel to the Country of Origin, which mainly dealt with the requirements for technical and administrative preparations for the shipment of RRSNF to the United States of America under the FRRSNF acceptance programme. It included national experiences of shipping back fuel to the United States of America as the country of origin, and resulted in IAEA-TECDOC-1593, Return of Research Reactor Spent Fuel to the Country of Origin: Requirements for Technical and Administrative Preparations and National Experiences, published in 2008 [11]. The IAEA has assisted both fuel return programmes, providing logistical support to Member States for the fuel shipments. More detail on these return programmes is provided in Section 2 of this publication.

      To help address Member States’ responsibilities mentioned above, the IAEA organized a CRP on Options and Technologies for Managing the Back End of the Research Reactor Nuclear Fuel Cycle (2015‒2018), to address the issues faced by owners of RRs with regard to the management and disposal of RRSNF. This CRP, the results of which are reported in this publication, emphasized concerns specific to countries that do not possess the infrastructure for a large commercial nuclear power programme.

      The goal of the CRP was to develop a comprehensive set of technology options for RRSNF management. This includes storage, transport, processing and ultimate disposal. In addition, the CRP developed a set of tools to assist Member States in developing an RRSNF management strategy. First, a decision-support tool, Back end Research Reactor Integrated Decision making Evaluation (BRIDE), was designed to analyse scenarios comprising these options with a focus on their economic and non-economic aspects, taking into consideration technology development, and human and economic resource requirements. The options analysis helps to inform decision makers about the advantages and disadvantages of each option, assisting new and existing RR operating organizations in taking decisions on future disposal strategies. Additionally, a bottom-up detailed cost estimating tool, Fuel Cycle Cost Estimation for

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