Transmutation of minor actinides discharged from LMFBR spent fuel in a high power density fusion reactor

Abstract

Significant amounts of nuclear wastes consisting of plutonium, minor actinides and long lived fission products are produced during the operation of commercial nuclear power plants. Therefore, the destruction of these wastes is very important with respect to public health, environment and also the future of nuclear energy. In this study, transmutation of minor actinides (MAs) discharged from LMFBR spent fuel in a high power density fusion reactor has been investigated under a neutron wall load of 10 MW/m2 for an operation period of 10 years. Also, the effect of MA percentage on the transmutation has been examined. The fuel zone, containing MAs as spheres cladded with W-5Re, has been located behind the first wall to utilize the high neutron flux for transmutation effectively. Helium at 40 atm has been used as an energy carrier. At the end of the operation period, the total burning and transmutation are greater than the total buildups in all investigated cases, and very high burnups (420–470 GWd/tHM) are reached, depending on the MA content. The total transmutation rate values are 906 and 979 kg/GWth year at startup and decrease to 140 and 178 kg/GWth year at the end of the operation for fuel with 10% and 20% MA, respectively. Over an operation period of 10 years, the effective half lives decrease from 2.38, 2.21 and 3.08 years to 1.95, 1.80 and 2.59 years for 237Np, 241Am and 243Am, respectively. Total atomic densities decrease exponentially during the operation period. The reductions in the total atomic densities with respect to the initial ones are 79%, 81%, 82%, 83%, 85% and 86% for 10%, 12%, 14%, 16%, 18% and 20% MAs, respectively.