Ameer Randolph
Nuclear fuel recycling is a key area of expertise for French companies like Orano and EDF, which have been pioneers in the field for over 40 years. The recycling of spent nuclear fuel is a major element of the strategy of the French nuclear sector, which has more than 30 years of industrial experience. The process involves converting spent plutonium and uranium into a mixed oxide (MOX) that can be reused in nuclear power plants to produce more electricity. This process reduces the volume of waste and the consumption of raw materials, making it a valuable and efficient solution to the issue of nuclear waste. With 58 nuclear power reactors, France produced nearly 72% of its electricity in 2018 through nuclear power. This has been made possible through the recycling of spent nuclear fuel, which has allowed France to reduce its natural uranium requirements by 17%.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Percentage of nuclear fuel that can be recycled | 96% |
| Percentage of energy increase compared to other PWR used fuel recycling techniques | 25% |
| Percentage of fresh uranium requirements reduced | 30% |
| Percentage of high-level waste packaged safely for long-term storage | 4% |
| Percentage of electricity bill cost in France | <2% |
| Percentage of electricity MWh cost reduction in a decade | 40% |
| Percentage of uranium and technetium separated in the UREX process | 99.9% of uranium, >95% of technetium |
| Percentage of electricity in France produced by nuclear power reactors | 72% |
| Percentage of potential to produce electricity from spent nuclear fuel | 95% |
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What You'll Learn
Nuclear fuel recycling in France
The La Hague plant, located on the country's northwestern tip, has been operational since the mid-1960s and has safely processed over 23,000 tonnes of spent fuel. Used fuel assemblies from various nuclear power plants are transported to La Hague, where they are stored in a fuel-cooling pool for about seven years. After cooling, the fuel is separated into non-recyclable leftovers, plutonium, and reprocessed uranium. The plutonium is remixed with depleted uranium at the Melox facility to produce MOX fuel, which can power around 40% of France's reactors.
The recycling of used nuclear fuel is a key area of expertise for Orano, a state-owned company that manages the La Hague and Melox plants. Orano's world-leading industrial-scale technologies have enabled France to recycle up to 96% of spent nuclear fuel, contributing to the country's energy independence and reducing the environmental impact of nuclear waste. The cost of used fuel recycling in France represents less than 2% of the national electricity bill, or around €10 per year per household.
However, the fuel-cooling pools in La Hague are nearing capacity, and there are concerns about the ageing facilities. President Emmanuel Macron has announced plans to build at least six new reactors by 2050 and is discussing investments in waste recycling. EDF is also constructing an extra refrigerated pool at La Hague, expected to be ready by 2034, to store spent nuclear fuel before treatment. Additionally, France is considering a permanent high-level radioactive waste storage project called Cigéo, which would involve placing the waste underground in eastern France.
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Recycling costs and savings
Nuclear fuel recycling is a costly endeavour, especially at the large, industrial scales necessary to study bulk recycling and separation processes. However, there are significant cost-saving benefits to recycling nuclear fuel.
Firstly, recycling reduces the volume of waste and the consumption of raw materials. This is achieved by recovering nuclear material to make new fuels, which in turn generate their own electricity. Recycling can reduce the volume of the most radioactive waste by up to 5 times and its radiotoxicity by 10 times in the long term. This reduction in waste volume also decreases the need for disposal sites, such as the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository.
Secondly, recycling reduces the industry's demand for natural resources. In France, 10% of nuclear-generated electricity comes from recycled materials, and the country needs 17% less natural uranium to operate its plants than it would without recycling. This reduction in the use of natural uranium also contributes to energy independence and security.
Thirdly, recycling can increase the energy extracted from nuclear fuel. For instance, a DUPIC fuel cycle can reduce a country's need for used PWR fuel disposal by 70% while reducing fresh uranium requirements by 30%. Recycling can also increase the energy extracted from natural uranium by about 60 times.
Finally, recycling can be cost-efficient when performed at a smaller scale. For example, PNNL has developed microfluidics, or lab-on-a-chip technology, which can be used to study chemical processes on something the size of a microscope slide. This smaller scale reduces costs while still providing critical insights into the recycling process. Real-time monitoring of the recycling process can also improve efficiency and reduce costs by providing instantaneous information to help control and understand chemical processes.
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![An Evaluation of cost estimates of physical security systems for recycled nuclear fuel J. M. Hockett ... [et al.], Mitre Corporation. 1978 [Leather Bound]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61IX47b4r9L._AC_UY218_.jpg)
Uranium extraction (UREX)
The Uranium Extraction (UREX+) reprocessing technique was developed to address concerns about the PUREX process being a potential proliferation risk. UREX+ has recovery efficiencies of U and Pu of >99.9%. The entire UREX+ process can be divided into three major stages: extraction, scrub, and strip. In the first stage, uranium and technetium are recovered using the solvent TBP in n-dodecane and a reducing/complexing agent, acetohydroxamic acid (AHA), leaving everything else in the raffinate.
The UREX process can be used to recover fission products like iodine and technetium. Research by the French Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) has shown the potential for 95% and 90% recoveries of iodine and technetium, respectively. The UREX+1a process has been designed with safeguard goals and safeguard measures to prevent diversion and acquisition of nuclear material.
The recycling of used nuclear fuel is a key area of expertise for French companies like Orano, which has world-leading industrial-scale technologies. Nuclear fuel recycling reduces the volume of waste and the consumption of raw materials, and nearly 96% of spent fuel can be recycled to generate new fuels.
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The PYRO-B process
Nuclear fuel recycling has been a pioneer in the nuclear industry for over 40 years. The recycling of nuclear fuel offers two advantages: it reduces the volume of waste and the consumption of raw materials. The PYRO-B process is a pyrochemical process developed for the processing and recycling of fuel from a transmuter reactor. A transmuter reactor is a fast breeder reactor designed to convert transuranic nuclear waste into fission products.
Pyroprocessing, including the PYRO-B process, is an emerging technology that is crucial to the implementation of a closed nuclear fuel cycle. While it offers advantages in waste management and reduced proliferation risks, it also poses unique challenges that require a tailored safeguarding framework. Proponents of molten salt reactor (MSR) fuel cycles argue for pairing MSR with pyroprocessing to eliminate process conversion steps.
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The US nuclear industry's approach
The United States does not currently recycle spent nuclear fuel, instead storing it in steel-lined concrete pools surrounded by water at over 70 reactor sites across the country. However, the US has explored the possibility of consolidating this spent nuclear fuel at federal interim storage facilities.
The US has also been involved in nuclear fuel recycling initiatives in other countries. For example, with US assistance, South Korea built the Advanced Spent Fuel Conditioning Process Facility (ACPF), which led to the development of the Pyro-process Integrated Inactive Demonstration Facility (PRIDE). The US has also collaborated with France and Japan on the Global Actinide Cycle International Demonstration (GACID) project, which aims to develop technology for industrial deployment in Generation IV fast reactors by 2040.
Despite the benefits of nuclear fuel recycling, such as reducing waste and providing a source of zero-carbon energy, the US has not adopted this practice domestically due to several concerns. One major obstacle is the perception that nuclear fuel recycling is not cost-effective, especially given the fluctuations in the uranium market. There is also a risk that the process could be used to extract weapons-grade plutonium, which prompted President Jimmy Carter to ban PUREX reprocessing in 1978.
However, there are ongoing efforts to address these challenges and explore the potential of nuclear fuel recycling in the US. For instance, a nuclear recycling facility is under construction at the Department of Energy's Savannah River nuclear reservation in South Carolina. This facility will produce mixed-oxide fuel from surplus plutonium in US weapons stockpiles, rather than from power-plant waste. Additionally, scientists at the US Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory have developed new techniques, such as pyroprocessing, which aim to make fuel recycling safer, cheaper, and more efficient.
While the US has not yet implemented nuclear fuel recycling on a large scale, the country is actively engaged in research, development, and international collaborations in this area. These initiatives reflect a recognition of the potential benefits of nuclear fuel recycling and a willingness to explore its feasibility and address associated challenges.
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Frequently asked questions
Up to 96% of nuclear fuel can be recycled.
Nuclear fuel recycling involves converting spent plutonium and uranium into a "mixed oxide" (MOX) that can be reused in nuclear power plants to produce more electricity.
Recycling nuclear fuel reduces the volume of waste and the consumption of raw materials. It also reduces the radioactivity of waste in the long term.
Nuclear fuel recycling is routinely performed in Europe, Russia, and Japan. France is a leader in this area, with over 30 years of industrial experience.
