Minor actinide transmutation in fission reactors and fuel cycle considerations

The concept of minor actinide burner reactor is proposed as an efficient and effective way to transmute long-lived minor actinides in order to ease the burden of high-level radioactive waste disposal problem. Conceptual design studies of minor actinide burner reactors and the fuel cycle facilities were performed to obtain a reactor model with very hard neutron spectrum and very high neutron flux in which minor actinides can be fissioned efficiently. Two models of burner reactors were obtained, one with metal fuel core and the other with particle fuel core. Minor actinide transmutation by the actinide burner reactors is compared with that by power reactors from both the reactor physics and fuel cycle facilities view point. (author). 8 refs, 6 figs, 6 tabs