Patent Number: 
Section: claims

1. A method of reducing the storage time of spent nuclear fuel, the method comprising:providing a spent nuclear fuel rod; andirradiating, by a gamma ray free electron laser (FEL), the spent nuclear fuel rod along a longitudinal axis of the spent nuclear fuel rod with substantially collimated gamma ray photons having energy levels of about 10 MeV to about 15 MeV for a predetermined time period to initiate a photofission reaction in remaining fertile fissile material in the spent nuclear fuel rod. 2. A method of reducing the storage time of spent nuclear fuel, the method comprising:providing a sample of spent nuclear fuel; andplacing the sample of spent nuclear fuel in a nuclear reactor with active nuclear material and control material; andremoving portions of the control material until the reactor reaches near criticality;irradiating, after the removing, the spent nuclear fuel with substantially collimated gamma ray photons having energy levels of about 10 MeV to about 15 MeV for a predetermined time period to initiate a photofission reaction in remaining fertile fissile material in the spent nuclear fuel. 3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:extracting power from the nuclear reactor, wherein the extracted power includes power due to the photofission reaction;converting the power from the nuclear reactor into electricity; andemploying the electricity to provide power to a gamma ray source that provides the substantially collimated gamma ray photons having energy levels of about 10 MeV to about 15 MeV. 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the gamma ray source is a gamma ray free electron laser (FEL). 5. The method of claim 4, wherein the predetermined time period is about 1 to about 10 hours. 6. A method of reducing the storage time of spent nuclear fuel rods, the method comprising:placing a spent nuclear fuel rod in a nuclear reactor with a plurality of active nuclear fuel rods and a plurality of control rods;removing one or more of the plurality of control rods until the reactor reaches near criticality; andirradiating the spent nuclear fuel rod, in the nuclear reactor, with substantially collimated gamma ray photons having energy levels of about 10 MeV to about 15 MeV for a predetermined time period to initiate a photofission reaction in remaining fertile fissile material in the spent nuclear fuel rod. 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the irradiating the spent nuclear fuel rod comprises irradiating the spent nuclear fuel rod along its longitudinal axis. 8. The method of claim 6, wherein the irradiating the spent nuclear fuel rod comprises irradiating the spent nuclear fuel rod with a gamma ray free electron laser (FEL). 9. The method of claim 6, further comprising:extracting power from the nuclear reactor that includes power due to the photofission reaction in the remaining fertile fissile material in the spent nuclear fuel rod;converting the power from the nuclear reactor into electricity; andemploying the electricity to provide power to a gamma ray source that provides the substantially collimated gamma ray photons having energy levels of about 10 MeV to about 15 MeV. 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the gamma ray source is a gamma ray free electron laser (FEL). 11. The method of claim 10, wherein the predetermined time period is about 1 to about 10 hours. 12. The method of claim 2, further comprising extracting power from the nuclear reactor, wherein the extracted power includes power due to the photofission reaction. 13. The method of claim 6, further comprising extracting power from the nuclear reactor, wherein the extracted power includes power due to the photofission reaction.