Technical study report on reprocessing systems. The report of the feasibility study on commercialized FR cycle systems (phase I)

As a part of the feasibility study (FS) on commercialized fast reactor (FR) cycle systems started on July 1999, the design studies and the technical assessments for various advanced reprocessing systems have been carried out. In this study, plant design for the advanced aqueous system and the three non-aqueous systems (oxide electrowinning method, metal electrorefining method, and fluoride volatility method) has been carried out, and each system has been evaluated mainly from the viewpoint of economics. The future R and D issues on the processes and systems have been also clarified. This report describes the results of the study for two years as final report of FS phase I. (1) The advanced aqueous system, based on the simplified PUREX process, has been shown to be much more economical than the conventional PUREX. The 200 tHM/y plant achieves the target of economics, but the 50 tHM/y plant can not achieve the target. (2) The promising alternative systems replaced for advanced aqueous are the supercritical fluid direct extraction method and amine extraction method from the economical viewpoint. The ion exchange method is promising as the process for minor actinide recovery. (3) For reprocessing MOX fuel, all non-aqueous plants with a capacity of 200 tHM/y achieve the economical target. For such a small capacity as 50 tHM/y, further rationalization of the process is required for the oxide electrowinning method and metal electrorefining method to attain the target, though they are more economical than the advanced aqueous system. (4) For metallic and nitride fuel reprocessing, a metal electrorefining system has been shown to be advantageous. (author)