Mineral Resources of the Russian Nuclear Industry and Isolation of Radioactive Waste

Abstract

This article considers tasks needed to ensure sustainable development of the Russian nuclear industry, which are aimed for solving the problems of the initial and final stages of the nuclear fuel cycle, from reproduction of the uranium mineral-resource base to handling of liquid high-level waste of spent nuclear fuel reprocessing. The trends in the development of the mineral-resource complex are analyzed in connection with the projected growth of electricity generation at nuclear power plants. New approaches to the allocation and substantiation of prospecting areas based on the models of mineral-forming systems of uranium deposits using remote-sensing data, GIS modeling, and neural-network technologies are proposed on the example of the territory of southeastern Transbaikal within the framework of current prognostic and mineragenic studies. A detailed analysis of trends in solving the problems of the back end stage of the nuclear fuel cycle is carried out. The use of phosphate glass ceramics with monazite is proposed for isolation and subsequent disposal of the REE–actinide fraction of high-level waste.