THE FRENCH PROGRAM
FOR A SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENTOF NUCLEAR MATERIALS AND WASTE

Bernard BOULLIS
Fuel Cycle Back‐End Programs Director
CEA, Nuclear Energy Division| PAGE
1International Symposium – TOKYO, October 9‐10, 2014
Present Status and Future Perspective for Reducing Radioactive Wastes ~ Aiming for Zero‐Release~

USED NUCLEAR FUELSFROM THE WORLD NUCLEAR FLEETUsed fuel radiotoxicity
373 GWe

USED FUEL STOCKPILES:‐> 66 000 TWh (cumulative)‐‐‐> 250 000 tons used fuels
Pu content > 2000 tons
(currently increasing > 70 tons/y)a concern:‐fissile elements
radiotoxic
heat emitter
an asset(1g Pu# 1toe)THE FRENCH PROGRAM
FOR A SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENTOF NUCLEAR MATERIALS AND WASTE

1 ‐ The current French nuclear fuel cycle
2 ‐ Trends and options for the future
3 ‐ Advanced Recycling Technologies :the French R&D program| PAGE
3International Symposium – TOKYO, October 9‐10, 2014
Present Status and Future Perspective for Reducing Radioactive Wastes ~ Aiming for Zero‐Release~1 ‐ THE CURRENT FRENCH
NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE| PAGE
PLUTONIUM FUTURES 2014 – LAS VEGAS, 7-13 SEPTEMBER
4 2014

THE FRENCH NUCLEAR FLEET
Nuclear net capacity (Gwe)70

La Hague

60900

50

1300
1500 MWN440Total

30
20

MELOX
58 LWR
24 licenced for MOX
4 licenced for REU

1001970

1980

1990

2000

2010

2020

2030

2040

2050

used MOX
#120t
used REU#140t(UOX 1000t)(REU 140t)(MOX 120t)

LWRs

used UOX
1000 tFuel fabrication
depleteduranium
7000t

depleted
RU
800t

RECYCLING
Plutonium #10t

Uraniumenrichment

WASTE
FPs & MAs
#50 t

Uranium
Conversion
Uranium (RU) #940 t

natural U
8000 tMining and milling

THE PRINCIPLE OF THE FRENCH FUEL CYCLE(rough amounts,per year)

RECYCLING TECHNOLOGIES :DECADES R&D !
high yields…
U

TBP
SPENT FUEL

HNO3

DISSOLUTION

HULLS

Pu

U, Pu,
FPs,MAssolution

EXTRACTION

FPs,MAs…technological waste
low amountUSED FUEL RECYCLING IN FRANCE
30000

La Hague plant(UNF tons)

25000

UP3

20000

15000

10000

UP250000
1976

1981

1986

1991

1996

2001

2006

2011

> 30 000 tons
processed
Used MOX fuel(#70 tons processed)

Assemblies

MELOX plant

14000
12000
10000
8000

MOX & REU Fuels(sub-assemblies)# 1800 tons MOX fuel manufactured

MOXURE60004000200001971

1980

1989

1998

2004

2012

FINAL WASTE VITRIFICATION

180 liters#15% FPs# 17 000 glass canisters produced# 10‐15 glass canisters /reactor /per year

LONG-LIVED WASTE FINAL DISPOSAL:
THE CIGEO PROJECTANDRA, french waste management agency‐ CIGEO Licence application: 2015
‐ CIGEO Operation: from 2025

HLW (glass canisters)
underground repository
clay, (‐ 500m)

ILW

CURRENT RECYCLING STRATEGY :THE RATIONALE‐ saving uranium resources(#10% of French nuclear electricity from MOX fuels);‐ safe & secure ultimate waste without plutonium;(volume , heat load, radiotoxicity decreased)‐mastering the growth of plutonium inventory(Pu flux adequacy : Pu from processing= Pu refueled)‐ the plutonium available for future use isconcentrated in MOX spent fuels‐ an already large industrial experience ,operated under international safeguards( #30 000 tons reprocessed, # 1800 tons MOX)

2 ‐ TRENDS & OPTIONSFOR THE FUTURE| PAGE
PLUTONIUM FUTURES 2014 – LAS VEGAS, 7-13 SEPTEMBER
122014

NUCLEAR ENERGY IN FRANCE
2005 : FRENCH ACT ABOUT ENERGY(Nuclear Energy : research on advanced systems )2006 : FRENCH ACT about SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENTOF NUCLEAR MATERIALS & WASTE‐ recycle (decrease waste amounts);‐ retrievable geological repository for final waste
2014 : PUBLIC DEBATE ON “CIGEO” (HLW repository)(main issues: reversibility to be precised by law,a “pilot”phase before industrial full operation )2014 : PUBIC DEBATE ABOUT “ENERGY TRANSITION”(Act to be discussed at the French Parliament“ a new energy model for France”)

A SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT FOR
NUCLEAR MATERIALS AND WASTE (2006 French Act)
MAIN CONCLUSIONSOF THE REPORT ISSUED BY CEA (12‐2012):
Closing Pu and U Cycle, the very first condition
for a sustainable management of nuclear materials

www.cea.fr‐Two main guidelines:(1) Systematic recycle of U and Pu(2) fast neutron reactors. to burn and take advantage of plutonium amounts in spent fuels(avoiding the growth of important un‐used stockpiles );. to decrease minor actinide amounts in final waste. to allow a drastic extension of 238 U valorization

FROM CURRENT FUEL CYCLE…
TO FUTURE FAST REACTORS FUEL CYCLESPu stored in MOX SNF
to launch FR deployement

50t

8000t

50t

FLEXIBLE / PROGRESSIVE
TRANSITION SCENARIOS

50t

FR REACTORS DEPLOYMENT:CURRENT SCENARIO STUDIESEDF‐AREVA‐CEA joint studies# 60 GWe
3LWR

No natural uranium needs

Currentfleet

More FR needed (# >40 GWe)

2
Stage 2: multi-recycle FR- MOX
More FR needed ( #20 GWe)

1

Pu amount stabilized

Stage 1: recycle used LWR-MOX

2020

Stage 3: only MOX fuels# 2040a few FR needed (3 – 5 GWe?)
Used MOX-LWR amount stabilized

FRPU STOCKPILES RESORPTION :FR FLEXIBILITY
THE « BURNER » MODE with FAST REACTORS (CAPRA initiative,80’s)

Pu inventory (tons)

Time (years)

MINOR ACTINIDES TRANSMUTATION:
DRIVERS…
Minor actinide removal could provide
an optimization of final waste management:‐ by decreasing waste long‐term radiotoxicity‐ by decreasing the repository footprint (Am recycle mainly)

Fast neutron reactors incentives:‐ MA production : 3 ‐5 times lower in FR (vs. LWR)
‐ MA transmutation : possibly quantitative in FR(MA multi‐recycle)

no transmutation

MA transmutation

REPOSITORY FOOTPRINT(cooling phase 120 y)

LEVELIZED COST OF ELECTRICITY (LCOE) :TRANSMUTATION OVERCOST ESTIMATE

Overcost (%)

1500 ha total, among which 1175 ha
HAVL, 7 Mm3 excavated[Andra‐CEA 2012430 ha total, among which 120 ha HAVL,3 Mm3 excavated

MINOR ACTINIDES TRANSMUTATION:
DRIVERS…

302520(medium)ApproachA
Approach(high)B

151050

EDF / AREVA / CEA , 2012

3 – ADVANCED RECYCLINGTECHNOLOGIES :THE FRENCH R&D PROGRAM| PAGE
PLUTONIUM FUTURES 2014 – LAS VEGAS, 7‐13 SEPTEMBER 201420

FAST NEUTRON REACTORS :OPTIONS- Sodium Fast Reactor, the reference option :[ASTRID, the technology demonstrator]- maturity, and possible further improvements(safety, operability, economics)- developed with industrial
and international partners

Commercialreactor
ASTRID
1988-1998

1985 - 1998
RAPSODIE

1973 - 2010

1967 - 1983

- Gas-cooled Fast Reactor, a long-term option:- attractive potentialities but heavy challenges…

THE ASTRID PROGRAM‐ 600 Mwe , « pool » type
‐ oxyde fuel, transmutation capabilities‐Innovative design:‐ self‐sustainable safer core
‐ core catcher, residual heat removal‐ power conversion system

Preliminaryselection options

Decision tobuildcommissioning

2019
2009

2010

2011

2012

Conceptual
design -1

2013

2014
Conceptual
design -2

2015

2016

2017

Basicdesign

Detailed design& Construction2025

PLUTONIUM MULTIRECYCLE :1 – PROCESSING USED FUELS- CURRENT RECYCLING TECHNOLOGIES:a robust basis for oxide fuels recycle!
- ADAPTATION TO FAST REACTOR FUELS(# 25 tons FR-MOX already recycled)
Marcoule

La Hague- IMPROVEMENT OF TECHNOLOGIES
Recently : UPu co-management
cold crucible melter vitrification
Tomorrow : single-cycle, redox-free process?

La HaguePLUTONIUM MULTIRECYCLE :2 – FUEL FABRICATION TECHNOLOGIESPOWDER METALLURGY, the reference option for FR-MOX fuels- A SIGNIFICANT EXPERIENCE
UO

PuO2

Recycled
UPuO2

2

France: CFCA , Cadarache
Japan: PFPF, Tokai

Ball milling
Binder mixing
Granulation

SFR
fuel
fabrication,
CFCA,
from1963
Oxyde SFR
fuels
fabrications in ATPu
between1963 and1999
Réactors

Nb of pins

Nb of pellets( millions )Pellets (t HM )Pu (t HM )Rapsodie28 536

11,20,35

Phénix180 941

12,632,4

8,2Super-Phénix

208 396

16,971,2

12,7

PFR (GB)

9 555

0,71,60,54Total

427 428

31,2106,421,8- TO BE ADAPTED (Pu from LWR-MOX)- TO BE IMPROVED (innovative precursors)

Lubricant mixing
PressingSintering

CFCA fabrication process

MINOR ACTINIDE P&T
SNF

PUREX /COEX

DIAMEX /SANEX

UPu

Am (and Cm)

UO
H3C

N
C 8 H 17DMDOHEMA

FPs.

O
HC

N

C2H4C 8 H 17O
C 6 H 13OHC H3OOPOO
HON

NOH

O

HDEHP

HEDTAHOOOH

MA recovery innovative processes
have been successfully experimented,at lab‐scale[ SANEX 2005, GANEX 2008, EXAm 2010] (kgs, genuine SNF)
R&D goals: optimize and pilot‐scale approachseparation, MA‐bearing fuels fabrication, transmutation:a long way to reach industrial maturity« en résumé… »Optimized waste management is a major stake for future nuclear
systems: this points recycling options, and fast neutron reactors
Actinide management is key : plutonium first,…then minor actinides (Am notably)…pursuing a « step by step » approach
CEA has launched the ASTRID program ,an opportunity for large‐scale demonstration
an opportunity for international cooperation‐ MONJU, an important tool for experiments‐ JAPAN / FRANCE cooperation agreement, Paris, May 5th , 2014

THANK YOU
FOR YOUR ATTENTION !

Bernard Boullis| PAGE
27

International Symposium – TOKYO, October 9‐10, 2014
Present Status and Future Perspective for Reducing Radioactive Wastes ~ Aiming for Zero‐Release~