Utilization of spent nuclear fuel and transuranic actinides in a two-component nuclear power industry

Abstract

According to the strategy for the development of the nuclear power industry in Russia for the first half of the 21st century, the nuclear power industry complex should undergo the initial stage in the formation of a two-component nuclear power system and a closed nuclear fuel cycle (NFC) infrastructure. All elements of such a nuclear power system, including NPPs, facilities for the fabrication of uranium and uranium-plutonium fuel, processing of spent nuclear fuel, and radioactive waste management, must be organically linked for producing competitive electricity in both domestic and foreign markets. The present article demonstrates the systemic benefits from a large-scale introduction of fast reactors for the Russian nuclear power industry in terms of a sustainable resource provision and a solution to the key problems of the final NFC stage, which is associated with the accumulation of spent fuel and transuranic actinides. The study proposes an optimum NFC closure scenario, in which the described problems can be solved without increasing the high parameters of the BR in a fast reactor and using special burners.