International Symposium on Nuclear
Back-end Issues and the Role ofNuclear Transmutation Technology
Kyoto University , 28 November 2013

OECD Nuclear Energy Agency
Activities Related to theNuclear Fuel Cycle
Thierry DUJARDIN
Acting Deputy Director-General
Deputy Director, Science and Development
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Kyoto University

1Outline OECD/NEA Membership and Mission
 NFC Scientific Issues
 Minor actinides management
 Recycling TRUs
 Innovative Fuels & Materials
 Advanced Fuel Cycle Scenarios,

 Workshops, Conferences NFC Strategic Issues
 Trends in the fuel cycle, fuel cycle transition scenarios

 Economics of the back-end

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Mission
 To assist its member countries in maintaining and further
developing, through international co-operation, the scientific,
technological and legal basis required for a safe, environmentallyfriendly and economical use of nuclear energy for peacefulpurposes To provide authoritative assessments and to forge common
understanding on key issues, as support to government decisions
on nuclear energy policy and as input to broader OECD policy
analyses in areas such as energy and sustainable development
 Forum for sharing national experience• Catalyst for developing consensus
 Centre of excellence• Network of over 4000 national experts• To pool and maintain expertise Managerial skills for co-ordinating multi-national R&D projects• More than 50 years of experience in managing such projects for the benefit ofparticipating countries

Flexibility
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NEA member countries

Russia became most recent
member in January 2013
The NEA's current membership consists of 31 countries in Europe, North America and the Asia-Pacific region.
Together they account for approximately 90% of the world's installed nuclear capacity.
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NEA committee structure~ 70 subsidiaries bodies
working parties, expert groups, etc.

Most of activities described here arecarried out by expert groups from these2 standing committees
NEA also provides Technical Secretariat services to GIF and MDEP
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Back-end related activities at OECD/NEA
Advanced Nuclear Fuel Cycle• Minor Actinide Separation• Fuel fabrication• Different options fortransmutation:
homogeneous,heterogeneous• Recycling• Waste management
OECD/NEA expert groups are active in all areas of the fuel cycle in particularthrough the NSC/WPFC
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Minor Actinide Separation Technologies
 Report on Progress of Separation Chemistry, Minor Actinide
Separation and Perspective of Future R&D
Hydrometallurgy• New extractants for selective separation(e.g. diamides)
H2C

H2n+1CnN

H2n+1Cn

•

O

C

CH2

CnH2n+1C

ONO

CnH2n+1

Advanced aqueous processes: PUREX,
DIAMEX, SANEX, GANEX, EXAm,
NEXT, etc
Acidicextractant(HDEHP)
Olog(DAn)

DIAMIDE(DMDOHEMA)

4log(DLn)

3O

O
H3CPO

O

C8H17

2pHOO

O

NNOOOO

432
Back-extraction of An(III)(HEDTA/citrate buffer)

OOH

Efficient pH area for
selective An(III)complexation

O2ON

NH

C2H4

CH3

Pyroprocessing• Electrorefining (chloridemolten salts)• Liquid-Liquid extractions influoride media

C8H17

Fluoride melt

O
C6H13

MF3

1

10
3

Back-extraction of Ln(III)-1-21M

Co-extraction ofAn(III) + Ln(III)OAl

Liquid metallic solvent

OO

AlF3O

To be published end of 2014
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Expert Group on Integral Experiments for Minor
Actinide (MA) Management


Accuracy of the MA nuclear data needs to be improved for:
Detailed design of the transmutation systems
 Accurate prediction of the spent fuel composition

Integral experiments for the MAs are scarce due to the restrictions
and difficulties in material handling, sample preparation, posttreatment technology, etc
 Expert Group launched to:

Identify requirements of nuclear data for MA management
Review existing integral data and identifying specification of missing
experimental information Identify the bottlenecks and considering possible solutions
 Propose action programme for international cooperation
Final report completed
 Np 237, Am 241, 242m & 243, Cm 242, 243, 244 & 245

Follow-up: New Expert Group

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Joint design of reactor physics MA measurements in selected facilities
International collaboration on irradiation program for MAKyoto University8

Recycling Transuranics (TRU) State-of-the-art Report on Heterogeneous vs Homogeneous Recyclingof Transuranics in Fast Neutron Reactors
Two mains options are investigated:•••••

Potential advantages and disadvantages
Issues related to fuel cycle characteristics
and fuel forms

Comparison of criteria between both recycling modes
Specific implementation scenarios
Non proliferation issues
Strategies for curium management
Specifics scenarios were studied to underline specificneeds and requirements

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June 20139

Recycling Transuranics (TRU)
Comparisons of Nuclear Fuel Cycle Issues

Heterogeneous mode

Homogeneous mode
- Fuel fabrication easier but impacts
all fuel fabrication streams- Fuel behaviour under irradiation isclose to standard fuel- No flexibility between production ofelectricity and long-lived wastes
mission- Impacts on core reactivity
coefficients limit content of MA

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- Fuel fabrication is more complex- Fuel behaviour under irradiation isdifferent to standard fuel due to large
production of curium and helium
released- No impact on standard fuel cycle- No impact on main reactor coreparameters but higher thermal load
- MA contents are higher

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WPFC Expert Group on Innovative Fuels (IF)Innovative fuels

heterogeneous & homogeneous fuels, ADS fuels,
oxides, metals, nitrides, carbides
Objectives and activities Support the development of innovative fuels and cladding that canbe implemented in advanced nuclear fuel cycles• Innovative fuel fabrication techniques;• Irradiation performance of innovative fuels (including advanced cladmaterials);• Characterisation and post-irradiation examination methods;• Predictive models/codes for the innovative fuel fabrication andperformance;• Phenomenological experiments in support of model development orvalidation
 Benchmark Study on Fuel Performance Codes

 focus on experiments on MA bearing fuels with differentchemical forms.
 results will be gathered into a database
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Minor Actinides Bearing Fuels
 State-of-the-art report on Innovative Fuels
Different types of fuels (heterogeneous &homogeneous)• Metal• Oxide• Nitride

To be published in 2014

• Dispersion Fuels• Special mechanical forms(sphere pac, …)
Fuel design

Integral Irradiation
Analytical irradiation(behaviour +fabrication)
TRL 9

M A B B t h er m al con d i t i on sQualification

GACID stp3

TRL 8Am+Np+Cm
Sub-assembly demo

TRL 7GACID stp1&2

Fabrication &characterisation

Irradiation
performance

Safety behaviour-Swelling norm/off- norm

TRL 1

Predictive CodeTRL 2

Performance code

7at%, 360W/cm

TRL 3

Selection

24at%

BOL

SUPERFACT-propertieswith MALow H e sw el l i n gb ecau s e o f si g n i fi can t
rel eas e

AF2C-2D

AM1

TRL 4

- FCCI at highBU,
severalO/M

TRANSIENT?

TRL 5Development-He production

 R isk of FCM I

T2<T
1100 to 1400°C
H e I m plan t at ion an d an n ealin g
M OX an nealin gS U P ER FA CT- MA redistricution

Low H e sw el l i n g(H e a t om s i sol at ed i nsm al l si z e d efect s )P ot en t i al l y si g n i fi can t
H e sw el l i n g .

R&D Code

T1<T<T2


Code for pre-design

T<T1
500 to 700°C
H e I m plan t at ion an d
an n ealin g t est

Am+Np+Cm
highBU and LHR

TRL 6-He diffusion and release

Optimisation

ModellingTechnologyReadiness Level

Conclusions:
TRU bearing fuels are being developed at lab. scale and irradiation tests havebeen limited to small samples. Most advanced are metal and oxide fuels.
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12Curium managementin France, Japan and USA
Management of Cm is challenging, it requires special shielding andhandling; reprocessing for separation of Cm and Am

JapanUSA• Recycling of all MAs : efficientdecreases in radiotoxic inventory anddecay heat in HLW• Removal and decay storage of Cm:
overall reduction and minimise
shielding and handling requirements

Main contributors of heat emission
are 244Cm, 241Am, 238Pu

Cm inventory is greater
when Cm is removed andstored at the end of each
cycle

Separation studies directed towards
separation of Am from Cm and FP in single
process (ExAm)

Cm separation from Am
extraction chromatography

Recycling without separationof Cm from Am is favoured

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Advanced Fuel Cycles with P&T
Potential Benefits and impacts of advanced NFC
with actinides P&T Comparative analysis••••

June 2011

Potential impact of P&T
Different types of geological repositories
Various licencing and regulatory environments
Help shape decisions on options for advanced FC

Key messages• P&T can reduce radioactive waste management burden
Significant impact on repository.
• Reduction in long term radioactivity can make the uncertainty about therepository performance less important for both normal and disruptive
scenarios.
• P&T will not eliminate the need for waste repositories but has thepotential to improve public perception regarding the ability to effectively
manage radioactive waste by reducing TRU waste to be disposed of.
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Advanced Fuel Cycle Scenario Studies
Benchmark Study on Scenario Codes
Objectives
 Compare existing scenario codes fromBelgium, Canada, France, Germany, Italy,Japan, Spain and USA
 In depletion-only calculation and in atransition scenario between Gen II to GEN IV
with MA transmutation in FR
Main findings
 Very good coherency in the depletion calculation (as expected)
 Sharper differences in the dynamic scenario, due to different
physical models and heterogeneity in the modeling flexibility,
especially for Fast Reactors (i.e. the first load batches)
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Accelerator Driven Systems
Potential option for transmutation,
not to generate electricity in a competitive manner Workshop on Technology and Components of Accelerator Driven
Systems (TCAD)••••

2nd workshop was held in May 2013 (Nantes, France)
Technical sessions: current ADS experiments, accelerators,Simulations, safety, data, neutrons sources
Several presentation related to MYRRHA project (project, R&D)

Next edition to be held in 2016-2017 – first two editions
were held in Europe
Next edition in Japan?
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Actinides and Fission Product Partitioningand Transmutation (IEMPT)
Forum to present and discuss scientific and strategic state-of-theart developments in the field of P&T:
 Fuel cycle strategies and transition scenarios
 Radioactive waste forms and waste management strategies
 Transmutation (fuels and targets, physics, systems design andperformance) Advances in pyro and aqueous separation processes
 Impact of P&T on the fuel cycle: fabrication, handling andtransportation of transmutation fuels
 Economics of P&T• 12th IEMPT was held in Prague, Czech Rep., Sep. 2012
• 13th IEMPT will be held in Seoul, Rep. Korea, 23-26 Sept. 2014

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Focus on:Technical Progress Chronological assessment oftechnology changes• developments over the last ten years• potential changes, in the near andlonger termTrends
 In technology, country policies & global effort
 Impact of technology trends on sustainability• environment, resource utilization, wastemanagement, infrastructure, proliferation resistanceand physical protection, safety, economics
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New build & prospects of growth (could slow-down post Fukushima)
Prevalence of OFC, with some partial recycling for existing fleet andNPPs under construction
U demand from non-OECD countries expected to impact OECDcountries
Increased U prices & price volatility but no short-term constraints fromshortage of resources
Yet – need for investments and timeliness of mining projects
Little incentive to close the fuel cycle (from a resource utilisationperceptive)
Overall only incremental progress towards sustainability• e.g. increasing output: higher load factors, burn-up & upratings
Step changes in sustainability linked to deployment of Advanced FCs• Needed changes not market-driven
government action
required
Increased weight of global strategies (IFNEC, GENIV, INPRO) &international approaches (e.g. fuel banks, regional repositories)

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19‘Trends’ Recommendations
To support nuclear development governments would need to:
••
•

•


Waste management - Progress towards implementation of deep geologicalrepositories must remain a high priority••further R&D to optimise geological disposal solutions and to address issues related
to prolonged interim storage of spent fuelchallenges such as licensing, public acceptance, knowledge retention must beaddressed

Advanced reactors and closed fuel cycle••

ensure efficiency in necessary approval processes
ensure long term security of supply (from conventional & unconventional sources)consider coupling energy policies with supporting fiscal policies (& marketincentives) to assist risk management, particularly for the implementation of newtechnologies with long lead times
work with mining industry to ensure application of best practices

Governments need to ensure adequate regulatory frameworks & resources toenable transition to fast neutron systems
On-going R&D and international cooperation in advanced FC should be further
promotedIntegrated approach to the analysis of the economy of the fuel cycle (frommining to waste management) needs to be further developed

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Economics of the back-end of Nuclear Fuel Cycle (1)Report “Trends towards sustainability in the Nuclear Fuel Cycle”
focus on policies and strategies (2011)
Analysis of economics of nuclear power across the nuclear fuel cycle incontext of electricity markets, social acceptance, and technologicaladvances

Objectives- Understand economics issues and methodologies for
management of SNF- Assess available knowledge from countries on the costs ofvarious options for long-term management and disposal ofradioactive wastes and compare the cost estimates of different
countries on a common basis.
- Evaluate the impact of uncertainties
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Economics of the back-end of Nuclear Fuel Cycle (2) Descriptive review
 Quantitative part Influence of qualitative
parameters

LCOEFuel cycle and LCOEBack-end for different reactor fleets andback-end strategies(3% di scou n t r at e)
1210USD2010/MWh

864200100

200

300

400

500

600

700

TWh/yearDirect disposal route, total fuel cycle
Partial recycling in LWRs, total fuel cycle
Multiple Pu recycling with LWRs and FRs, total fuel cycle

Direct disposal route, back-end cost
Partial recycling in LWRs, back-end cost
Multiple Pu recycling with LWRs and FRs, back-end cost

Note: The central values represent the results from the REFERENCE cost scenario, and the error bars correspond to the LOW and HIGH cost scenarios.

costs calculated for the open FC option are lower than for the other idealised options
assessed. However, differences of LCOEFuel cycle for the three options are within the uncertaintybands.
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Economics of the back-end of Nuclear Fuel Cycle (3)Main conclusions•There is the need for a repository (whatever option chosen- direct disposal orpartial recycling).
•Progress in the implementation of a Deep Geological Repository are being
made in some countries.
•Assessment of cost is essential. Difference between individual assessment
can be large and depend on factor such as technical solutions and nationalconditions.
•It is important that financial arrangements are established.
•Cost needs to be reviewed regularly taking into account new technicalknowledge and actual fund development•Sensitivities analysis show that in all strategies, the total fuel cycle cost is mostsensitive to the cost of fresh UOX fuel.
•Political issues, social and technical aspects need to be taken into
consideration
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Economics of the back-end of Nuclear Fuel Cycle (4)Recommendations•Government should maintain effort in implementation of DGR.
•Public involvement in SNF management strategy is vital•Ensuring funding is essential to ensure financial provisions•Comparisons of fuel cycle strategies should be made on the basis of the full fuelcycle cost.
•Multi criteria approach should be adopted at national level.
•R&D on advanced NFC should be supported by governments•International collaboration and sharing experience should continue.

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Concluding RemarksDespite impact of Fukushima, there remains a high level of interest incontinued development of advanced nuclear systems and fuel cycles••

better use of natural resources
minimisation of waste and reduction of constraints on deep geological repositories

Ambitious R&D programmes on-going at national level in many
countries, also through international projects
 International cooperation is an asset for maintaining, developing andgaining further knowledge and insights of scientific, technologicaland strategic issues associated to NFC
 NEA carries out numerous and various activities related to advanced
nuclear fuel cycle and Partitioning & Transmutation
•••

Scientific, economic and strategic
Cover all aspects of the fuel cycle: separation, fuel fab., recycling, waste managt
ADS

OECD/NEA will continue to support member countries in field of fast
reactor development and related advanced fuel cycles••forum for exchange of information
collaborative activities

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http://www.oecd-nea.org/

Thank you for your attention

http://www.oecd-nea.org/
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