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Title: The role of Z-pinch fusion transmutation of waste in the nuclear fuel cycle.

Technical Report ·
DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/920827· OSTI ID:920827
;  [1]; ; ;  [1];  [2];  [2]; ;  [2]; ;  [3];  [3]
  1. Hobart & William Smith College, Geneva, NY
  2. University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI
  3. Texas A&M University, College Station, TX
+ Show Author Affiliations

The resurgence of interest in reprocessing in the United States with the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership has led to a renewed look at technologies for transmuting nuclear waste. Sandia National Laboratories has been investigating the use of a Z-Pinch fusion driver to burn actinide waste in a sub-critical reactor. The baseline design has been modified to solve some of the engineering issues that were identified in the first year of work, including neutron damage and fuel heating. An on-line control feature was added to the reactor to maintain a constant neutron multiplication with time. The transmutation modeling effort has been optimized to produce more accurate results. In addition, more attention was focused on the integration of this burner option within the fuel cycle including an investigation of overall costs. This report presents the updated reactor design, which is able to burn 1320 kg of actinides per year while producing 3,000 MWth.

Research Organization:
Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), Albuquerque, NM, and Livermore, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
DOE Contract Number:
AC04-94AL85000
OSTI ID:
920827
Report Number(s):
SAND2007-6487; TRN: US0800958
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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Related Subjects

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE WASTES, AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
29 ENERGY PLANNING
POLICY AND ECONOMY
ACTINIDES
BURNERS
DESIGN
FUEL CYCLE
HEATING
NEUTRONS
NUCLEAR ENERGY
NUCLEAR FUELS
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
REPROCESSING
SANDIA NATIONAL LABORATORIES
SIMULATION
TRANSMUTATION
WASTES
Fuel cycle protection*
Radioactive wastes-Transmutation-Technological innovations.
Radioactive wastes-Transmutation.
Fusion reactors.