JAEA key facilities for global advanced fuel cycle R&D

Nomura, Shigeo; Yamamoto, Ryuichi

The current LWR cycle composed of PUREX reprocessing and MOX fuel fabrication technologies becomes a matured industrial level. However, advanced fuel cycle will be realized with the mid and long term R&D, focusing the transition period which handles at least three types of spent fuel; LWR-UOX, LWR-MOX, and FBR-MOX to produce mainly advanced reactor fuels for FBR. R&D scheme becomes more complicated, because of such kinds of spent fuels and products, succession of the current industrial technologies, and future social and technological needs. Under these conditions, two types of R&D; evolutionary and revolutionary ones are proposed. The modification and partial replacement of the current technologies can be realized through the evolutionary type R&D. The introduction of new concept and the drastic change of main process are categorized for the revolutionary R&D. Progress of such R&D is implemented by the four stages as a classic linear model. The linear model should be modified and skipped sometime by finding out how to apply the simulation model and the conventional outcomes developed in the past. The engineering demonstration should be implemented especially for the verification of design, performance, and operation including off-normal conditions. Most of JAEA facilities cover the evolutionary type R&D from basic to engineering stage. To implement the revolutionary type R&D, however, these should prepare more flexible testing parameters, new machines and process equipments, depending upon the each progress of candidate technologies.