The advanced liquid metal reactor actinide recycle system

The current U.S. National Energy Strategy includes four key goals for nuclear policy: enhance safety and design standards, reduce economic risk, reduce regulatory risk, and establish an effective high-level nuclear waste program. The U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Liquid Metal Reactor Actinide Recycle System is consistent with these objectives. The system has the ability to fulfill multiple missions with the same basic design concept. In addition to providing an option for long-term energy security, the system can be effectively utilized for recycling of actinides in light water reactor (LWR) spent fuel, provide waste management flexibility, including the reduction in the waste quantity and storage time and utilization of the available energy potential of LWR spent fuel. The actinide recycle system is comprised of (1) a compact liquid metal (sodium) cooled reactor system with optimized passive safety characteristics, and (2) pyrometallurgical metal fuel cycle presently under development of Argonne National Laboratory. The waste reduction of LWR spent fuel is accomplished by transmutation or fissioning of the longer-lived transuranic isotopes to shorter-lived fission products in the reactor. In this presentation the economical and environmental incentive of the actinide recycle system is addressed and the status of development including licensing aspects is described. 3 refs., 1 tab., 6 figs