Optimization of light water reactor high level waste disposal scenario in the situation of delayed reprocessing with existing and demonstrated technology

Fukaya, Yuji

Annals of Nuclear Energy, 144, p.107503_1 - 107503_7, 2020/09

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anucene.2020.107503

Disposal scenario of High Level Waste (HLW) of Light Water Reactor (LWR) have been optimized to reduce waste volume and repository footprint in geological disposal. The optimization was performed with existing and demonstrated technology in the situation where the reprocessing will be delayed. In general, the scenario with Partitioning and Transmutation (P&T) is optimized to minimize waste package number generated in the situation where the spent fuel will be reprocessed immediately with the minimum cooling time. With considering the delay of reprocessing, it is found that the more simplified and effective optimization with the high-waste-loading glass and cold crucible induction melter technologies and without partitioning. The optimized case can achieve significant reduction of number of waste package generation and the repository footprint to half of those of non-P&T case with 100 years cooling.