In order to secure a strong economic future, the U.S. needs a sustainable energy source. Nuclear technology has the potential to meet this need for the nation. However, if the potential of nuclear energy is to be realized, the once-through fuel cycle practiced for decades must be reconsidered. The cycle requires long-term disposal to protect the environment and public from long-lived radioactive species. Until a national repository is opened, spent nuclear fuel will continue to accumulate — that waste is currently more than 50,000 metric tons.
Significant challenges revolve around the issues associated with the nuclear fuel cycle. Without an appropriate fuel cycle, nuclear energy will not be sustainable. Additionally, selected fuel cycles must be proliferation resistant; thus, the technical challenges associated with fuel cycles are substantial.
To address these scientific and technical challenges by 2015, the Separations and Actinide Science vision is to establish a nuclear technology science base composed of people, facilities, and collaborations to:
- Underpin the development of an advanced fuel cycle with improved economics
- Provide inherently safe high-temperature fuels
- Eliminate the potential production of nuclear weapons through reprocessing of spent fuel
- Permit environmentally safe management of the associated waste.
Increasing Energy Demand
The U.S. is the leading energy consumer in the world, and our economic growth depends on having readily available and affordable energy resources. Similarly, other growing economies, especially those of India and China, need energy. Increased demand for available energy resources will impact cost and availability of some fuels, primarily petroleum and natural gas, and force the U.S. to use other fuels for electricity production.
Coal is the primary fuel used for electricity production, but burning coal and other fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Growing evidence has linked increased atmospheric carbon dioxide with global warming. If this evidence proves to be true, the U.S. and the global community will need to greatly reduce the amount of carbon dioxide released to the atmosphere in order to avoid altering the environment. To that end, nuclear technology, specifically nuclear electricity production, produces electric power with no carbon dioxide emissions.
The Nuclear Fuel Cycle Solution
A sustainable fuel cycle requires developmental activities in several areas. A once-through fuel cycle, as practiced by the U.S., has resulted in more than 50,000 metric tons of spent nuclear fuel. A geologic repository is proposed as a safe way of disposing of this material, but the proposed repository will only accommodate the spent fuel produced by the current fleet of nuclear reactors. If the U.S. continues to employ a once-through fuel cycle and adds additional power reactors, a single repository will not meet the national needs.
Actinides are a significant factor in repository analyses. Thus, by eliminating actinides that require disposal with spent nuclear fuel, the radiotoxicity of the waste is reduced. Additionally, reducing the long-lived actinides simplifies the fate and transport analysis and eliminates the need to calculate doses for hundreds of thousands of years. A new, efficient generation of nuclear reactors exists and is being constructed and operated in other parts of the world. These advanced reactors, with closed fuel cycles, permit actinide and other radio isotopic separations for recycling and transmutation and reduce the need for additional repositories.
The preceding discussion dictates that the once-through fuel cycle be reconsidered and a more sustainable fuel cycle be employed to support future growth of nuclear energy. INL has existing capabilities that can be used to address the current problems with nuclear fuel cycle. An enhanced INL Separations and Actinide Science capability will be critical to completing the transition to an advanced fuel cycle.
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- Mike McIlwain, (208) 526-8130, Send E-mail