Evaluation on transmutation of minor actinides discharged from PWR spent fuel in the RSG-GAS research reactor
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.11113/mjfas.v15n4.1286Keywords:
Transmutation, minor actinide, RSG-GAS research reactorAbstract
The evaluation of RSG-GAS research reactor for transmutation reactor was proposed to study its effectiveness to transmute minor actinides (MA), specifically Am-241, to support geologic storage/disposal. The Am-241 radionuclide was assumed to be discharged from 1000MWe PWR’s spent fuel. The mass of Am-241 discharged from within a year operation of 1000MWe PWR was 1.65E+03 gram, while the optimum Am-241 mass which can be transmuted in RSG-GAS - and still meet the safety requirements of reactivity - was 8.0E+03 gram. This was equivalent to about cumulative Am-241 discharged from 5 units of 1000MWe PWR. In 10 cycles of RSG-GAS operation (about 2 years), the remaining of Am-241 is only about 100 grams. The ratio of Am-241 transmuted (8.0E+03 gram) and Am-241 produced in the RSG-GAS core (1.98E-02 gram) within 1-year operation shows the effectiveness of RSG-GAS as a transmutation reactor.
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