OECD Nuclear Energy Agency / L'Agence pour l'énergie nucléaire

Expert Group on Minor Actinide Burning in Thermal Reactors (MA-ThR)

Under the guidance of the Working Party on Scientific Issues in Reactor Systems (WPRS) this expert group will carry out a technical assessment of minor actinide burning in thermal reactors. Though the main focus will be on light water reactors (LWRs), consideration will also be given to other thermal systems such as heavy water reactors (HWRs). However, high Temperature Reactors (HTRs) are specifically excluded because minor actinide burning in HTRs is already the subject of the European Union 6th Framework project PUMA.

The scope will include assessments of the implications for enrichment, fuel fabrication, in-core fuel management, thermal-hydraulics, fuel behaviour, fuel cycle economics and irradiated fuel and waste management. It is intended that the expert group would be a joint activity between the Working Party on Scientific Issues of Reactor Systems (WPRS) and the Working Party on Scientific Issues of the Fuel Cycle (WPFC) and would also liaise closely with the Nuclear Development Committee (NDC) on economics.

Objectives

The expert group aims to produce a state-of-the-art report on minor actinide burning in LWRs and HWRs. The principal objective is to review and summarise previous work and to present a consensus view.

Specifically, the report should cover for LWRs and HWRs:

The different technical approaches to minor actinide burning, including an assessment of the effectiveness of different approaches in terms of kg of minor actinides destroyed per TWhe electrical output and the irradiation timescales.
To construct, if feasible, estimates of the net contribution of the various minor actinide nuclides to the overall neutron balance and thereby determine the penalty on initial fissile loading.
Assess the design and behaviour of reactor fuels containing minor actinides.
Consider the nuclear design aspects of reactor cores containing minor actinide fuels.
Evaluate the thermal-hydraulic design of reactor cores containing minor actinide fuels.
The implications for fabrication of fuel containing minor actinides.
The implications for operations of reactor cores containing minor actinides.
The implications for the fuel cycle, including spent fuel and waste management, minor actinide separation.
The economics of LWRs and HWRs containing minor actinide fuels.

Deliverables

Completion of a state-of-the-art report within two years of the initial meeting of the expert group.

Chair: tbd
Members: All NEA member countries
Date of creation: June 2007
Duration: Two years from initial meeting

Expert Group on Minor Actinide Burning in Thermal Reactors (MA-ThR)

Objectives

Deliverables

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