Handling Technology of Low Decontaminated TRU Fuel for the Simplified Pelletizing Method Fuel Fabrication System

In the FaCT project, the advanced aqueous reprocessing and the simplified pelletizing fuel fabrication has been developed principally because it was the most promising concept for the future commercial plant with capacity of 200 tHM a year. The advanced aqueous reprocessing consisted of simplified low decontaminated extraction process and minor actinides recovery process allows the products to remain some amount of fission products. This low decontaminated process brings benefit such as cost reduction for reprocessing, proliferation resistance etc. However, new development issues are given to the fuel fabrication system because source material is the low decontaminated TRU fuel produced from such reprocessing process. Various R and D for measures against high radio-activity and high heat generation by such fuel are going on toward to the C and R in 2010. The interim summarizing in 2008 generally shows that in-cell remote equipment is expected to be feasible and measures against heat generation is generally expected to be feasible as well. (author)