The impact of spent fuel reprocessing facilities deployment rate on transuranics inventory in alternative fuel cycle strategies

The depletion rate of transuranic inventories from spent fuel depends on both the deployment of advanced reactors that can be loaded with recycled transuranics, and on the deployment of the facilities that separate and reprocess spent fuel. In addition to tracking the mass allocation of TRU in the system and calculating a system cost, the fuel cycle simulation tool CAFCA includes a flexible recycling plant deployment model. This study analyses the impact of different recycling deployment schemes for various fuel cycle strategies in the US over the next hundred years under the assumption of a demand for nuclear energy growing at a rate of 2,4%. Recycling strategies explored in this study fall under two categories: recycling in thermal light water reactors using combined non-fertile and UO2 fuel (CONFU) and recycling in fast reactors (either fertile-free actinide burner reactors, or self-sustaining gas-cooled fast reactors). Preliminary results show that the earlier deployment of recycling in the thermal reactors will limit the stored levels of TRU below those of fast reactors. However, the avoided accumulation of spent fuel interim storage depends on the deployment rate of the recycling facilities. In addition, by the end of the mid century, the TRU in cooling storage will exceed that in interim storage. (authors)