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Evaluation of the application of a molten salt fast reactor for transmutation in the frame of the nuclear phase out

Merk, B.; Rohde, R.

The governmental decision to phase out electric energy production in nuclear power plants in Germany has put some questions on the future of the P&T research. The Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft (ministry of economics) and the Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (ministry of education and research) have launched a study managed by acatech (national academy of science and engineering) in 2012 to answer these questions on a broad scientific basis. One major discussion point was the so-called last transmuter problem which requires much more attention in the case of the nuclear phase out. Transmutation of long lived transuranium isotopes is under the phase out condition only attractive when the last transmuter problem can be solved. A solution for this problem has been proposed in a generic study based on the EVOL molten salt reactor configuration using a twofold operation cycle. It is proposed to operate the fast molten salt reactor for a given time in the transmuter mode feeding the transuranium elements. This operational mode is followed by the deep burn phase where the bred U-233 from the blanket is used as fissile material to burn the last TRU load by more than 90%. The reactor is operated on uranium as fissile material at the end of the deep burn phase which can be forwarded to reactor operation in another country without proliferation concerns as long as it is diluted with U-238 to the required fissile content defined in the non-proliferation guidelines.
Based on this proposal a detailed investigation is presented using the specific German nuclear waste amount and composition in a fertile free salt configuration in the core. A salt configuration based on the MOSART composition is used which is able to carry the required amount of TRUs for the fertile free operation. The transmutation efficiency is evaluated and it is demonstrated that the optimal efficiency of the fertile free configuration can be achieved in the transmuter mode. Following the transmuter mode the nuclide densities are evaluated in the deep burn mode using bred U-233 as fissile material. The remaining TRU amounts are compared during the deep burn mode and evaluated in comparison with the required operation time. The remaining uranium based fissile material configuration is discussed and an estimation is given how many reactors of the EVOL design have to be operated for how many years to burn the remaining German nuclear waste.

Keywords: nuclear; nuclear reactor; molten salt; molten salt reactor; transmutation; nuclear waste management

  • Open Access Logo Contribution to proceedings
    Actinide and Fission Product Partitioning and Transmutation 13th Information Exchange Meeting, 23.-26.09.2014, Seoul, Republic of Korea
  • Poster
    Actinide and Fission Product Partitioning and Transmutation 13th Information Exchange Meeting, 23.-26.09.2014, Seoul, Republic of Korea

Permalink: https://www.hzdr.de/publications/Publ-20120
Publ.-Id: 20120