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ABSTRACT
The impact of disposal of mixed oxide (MOX) fuel from light water reactors (LWRs) has been considered from the viewpoint of the thermal properties and the number of the vitrified waste for various conditions of the nuclear fuel cycle. In addition, the effect of separation of the minor actinides (MAs) (Np, Am, Cm) that potentially influence the geological disposal area has been evaluated quantitatively. Review of the effect of MAs separation on heat generation in MOX fuel disposal has revealed that dedicated measures for thermal impact reduction need to be developed for the purpose of nuclear-fuel-cycle evaluation from the viewpoint of continuous utilization of Pu. Not only MA separation, but also the nuclear fuel cycle conditions, technical options, waste occupied area per waste package are strongly relevant to the thermal properties of the vitrified waste, and it is necessary to consider the combination of these factors together with the number of waste packages to progress the feasibility studies for geological disposal of MOX-LWR.
Acknowledgments
This research was supported in part by the Radioactive Waste Management Funding and Research Center (RWMC). Some results of this study were obtained as part of the research program “Study on the effects of advanced nuclear fuel cycle technology to the geological disposal concept.” Discussions with the RWMC have been particularly fruitful and their contributions are acknowledged.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Correction Statement
This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.
Notes
1. Applicable reprocessing/disposal conditions.
2. Results are the initial heat generation data immediately after vitrification.