Plutonium multi recycling in pressurised water reactors of the EPR type using laser isotope separation of Pu242

Coprecipitation of actinides peroxide salts in the U-Th and U-Pu systems and their thermal decomposition

Uranium and plutonium coconversion process constitutes a continuous subject of interest for MOx fuel fabrication. Among the various routes considered, chemical coprecipitation by salt effect has been widely investigated regarding...

On the possibility to improve mixed uranium-plutonium fuel in fast reactors

Accumulation of plutonium extracted from the spent nuclear fuel (SNF) of light water reactors is one of the central problems in nuclear power. To reduce out-of-the-reactor Pu inventory, leading nuclear power countries (France, Japan) use plutonium in light water power reactors in the form of MOX fuel, with half of Pu fissioning in this fuel. The rest of Pu cannot be reused easily and efficiently in light water reactors because of the high content of even isotopes. Plutonium for which there are no potential consumers is accumulated.

Unlike thermal reactors, fast reactors take plutonium of any isotopic composition. That makes it possible to improve plutonium isotopic composition and to reduce the fraction of even isotopes to the level that allows reuse of such plutonium in thermal reactors.

The idea of changing the isotopic composition of Pu in fast reactors is well-known. The originality of the research lies in applying this idea to combine the fuel cycles of fast and thermal reactors. Pu isotopic composition can be improved by combining certain operational activities in order to supply fuel to thermal and fast reactors. Scientific and technological justification of the possibility will let Russian BN technologies and French MOX fuel technologies work in synergy with thermal reactors.