Management of Radioactive Waste Containing Graphite: Overview of Methods

Leon Fuks,Grazyna Zakrzewska-Koltuniewicz,Katarzyna Kiegiel,Irena Herdzik-Koniecko

doi:10.3390/en13184638

Leon Fuks, Grazyna Zakrzewska-Koltuniewicz + Show 2 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/en13184638

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Journal: Energies	Publication Date: Sep 7, 2020
Citations: 15	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: Instytut Chemii i Techniki Jądrowej

Abstract

Since the beginning of the nuclear industry, graphite has been widely used as a moderator and reflector of neutrons in nuclear power reactors. Some reactors are relatively old and have already been shut down. As a result, a large amount of irradiated graphite has been generated. Although several thousand papers in the International Nuclear Information Service (INIS) database have discussed the management of radioactive waste containing graphite, knowledge of this problem is not common. The aim of the paper is to present the current status of the methods used in different countries to manage graphite-containing radioactive waste. Attention has been paid to the methods of handling spent TRISO fuel after its discharge from high-temperature gas-cooled reactors (HTGR) reactors.

Highlights

As of December 31, 2018, 451 nuclear power reactors were in operation and produced 392,779 MWe of electricity
According to the recent data published by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the global volume of solid radioactive waste is about 35 million m3, of which 28.5 million m3 (82%) has been permanently disposed of, and another
Graphite blocks from Magnox or AGR reactors are huge and heavy, and represent a serious problem for operations typically used to treat radioactive waste

Summary

Introduction

As of December 31, 2018, 451 nuclear power reactors were in operation and produced 392,779 MWe of electricity. 172 reactors were permanently shut down [1]. At the turn of the millennium, scientists from several centers around the world started working on the development of new nuclear energy systems, called. Generation IV systems, that will deliver energy at a relatively low cost and will work with a high level of safety. Nuclear power plants (NPP) generate waste; compared with other industries, the mass of this waste is relatively small. According to the recent data published by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the global volume of solid radioactive waste is about 35 million m3 , of which 28.5 million m3 (82%) has been permanently disposed of, and another

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