This report examines the recycling of plutonium as thermal mixed-oxide (MOX) fuel in pressurised water reactors (PWRs) in order to discover the number of times plutonium can effectively be recycled. In particular, it describes an exercise based on a realistic, multiple-recycle scenario, which followed plutonium through five generations of recycling in a PWR. It considers both a standard PWR design currently in use and a highly moderated design, in order to provide a better understanding of their relative merits, as well as giving an insight into the limitations of multiple recycling and the long-term toxicity of fission products and actinides.

This report examines the recycling of plutonium as thermal mixed-oxide (MOX) fuel in pressurised water reactors (PWRs) in order to discover the number of times plutonium can effectively be recycled. In particular, it describes an exercise based on a realistic, multiple-recycle scenario, which followed plutonium through five generations of recycling in a PWR. It considers both a standard PWR design currently in use and a highly moderated design, in order to provide a better understanding of their relative merits, as well as giving an insight into the limitations of multiple recycling and the long-term toxicity of fission products and actinides.

On cover & title page: OECD Documents

One of the greatest challenges for nuclear energy is how to properly manage the highly radioactive waste generated during irradiation in nuclear reactors. Accelerator Driven Systems (ADSs) may offer new prospects and advantages for the transmutation of such high level nuclear waste. ADS or accelerator driven transmutation of waste (ATW) consists of a high power proton accelerator, a heavy metal spallation target that produces neutrons when bombarded by the high power beam, and a sub-critical core that is neutronically coupled to the spallation target. This publication provides a comprehensive state of the art of the ADS technology by representing the different ADS concepts proposed worldwide in the last 15 years, as well as the related R&D activities and demonstration initiatives carried out at national international level.

Physics of Nuclear Reactors presents a comprehensive analysis of nuclear reactor physics. Editors P. Mohanakrishnan, Om Pal Singh, and Kannan Umasankari and a team of expert contributors combine their knowledge to guide the reader through a toolkit of methods for solving transport equations, understanding the physics of reactor design principles, and developing reactor safety strategies. The inclusion of experimental and operational reactor physics makes this a unique reference for those working and researching nuclear power and the fuel cycle in existing power generation sites and experimental facilities. The book also includes radiation physics, shielding techniques and an analysis of shield design, neutron monitoring and core operations. Those involved in the development and operation of nuclear reactors and the fuel cycle will gain a thorough understanding of all elements of nuclear reactor physics, thus enabling them to apply the analysis and solution methods provided to their own work and research. This book looks to future reactors in development and analyzes their status and challenges before providing possible worked-through solutions. Cover image: Kaiga Atomic Power Station Units 1 – 4, Karnataka, India. In 2018, Unit 1 of the Kaiga Station surpassed the world record of continuous operation, at 962 days. Image courtesy of DAE, India. - Includes methods for solving neutron transport problems, nuclear cross-section data and solutions of transport theory - Dedicates a chapter to reactor safety that covers mitigation, probabilistic safety assessment and uncertainty analysis - Covers experimental and operational physics with details on noise analysis and failed fuel detection