Experience and challenges in reprocessing of fast reactor fuels

Spent nuclear fuel reprocessing is an important aspect of the Indian nuclear energy program to maximize the utilization of limited resources of uranium to meet the energy requirements of the country and structured development of Fast Reactor Fuel Reprocessing technology (FRFR) is being undertaken towards that direction. In the pilot plant COmpact facility for Reprocessing of Advance fuels in Lead cell (CORAL) reprocessing of spent fuels with progressively increasing burnups of Plutonium rich carbide fuel from Fast Breeder Test Reactor (FBTR) at Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR) and shorter cooling times have been successfully carried out since 2003. This facility has given indepth knowledge in identifying many future activities to improve the performance and presently spent fuels with a burnup of 155 GWd/t with cooling period of more than 2 years is being reprocessed. An overview of reprocessing of FBTR fuel at CORAL and the challenges in reprocessing development for fast reactors will be presented in this talk