skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: A comparison of radioactive waste from first generation fusion reactors and fast fission reactors with actinide recycling

Abstract

Limitations of the fission fuel resources will presumably mandate the replacement of thermal fission reactors by fast fission reactors that operate on a self-sufficient closed fuel cycle. This replacement might take place within the next one hundred years, so the direct competitors of fusion reactors will be fission reactors of the latter rather than the former type. Also, fast fission reactors, in contrast to thermal fission reactors, have the potential for transmuting long-lived actinides into short-lived fission products. The associated reduction of the long-term activation of radioactive waste due to actinides makes the comparison of radioactive waste from fast fission reactors to that from fusion reactors more rewarding than the comparison of radioactive waste from thermal fission reactors to that from fusion reactors. Radioactive waste from an experimental and a commercial fast fission reactor and an experimental and a commercial fusion reactor has been characterized. The fast fission reactors chosen for this study were the Experimental Breeder Reactor 2 and the Integral Fast Reactor. The fusion reactors chosen for this study were the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor and a Reduced Activation Ferrite Helium Tokamak. The comparison of radioactive waste parameters shows that radioactive waste from the experimental fast fission reactormore » may be less hazardous than that from the experimental fusion reactor. Inclusion of the actinides would reverse this conclusion only in the long-term. Radioactive waste from the commercial fusion reactor may always be less hazardous than that from the commercial fast fission reactor, irrespective of the inclusion or exclusion of the actinides. The fusion waste would even be far less hazardous, if advanced structural materials, like silicon carbide or vanadium alloy, were employed.« less

Authors:
;
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Massachusetts Inst. of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE; USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
OSTI Identifier:
5440034
Report Number(s):
DOE/ET/51013-292; PFC/RR-91-9
ON: DE91016969
DOE Contract Number:  
AC02-78ET51013; FG02-91ER54110
Resource Type:
Technical Report
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY; 22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS; 12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES; EBR-2 REACTOR; RADIOACTIVE WASTES; IFR REACTOR; COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS; TOKAMAK TYPE REACTORS; ACTINIDES; FAST FISSION; FUEL CYCLE; ITER TOKAMAK; TRANSMUTATION; BARYON REACTIONS; BREEDER REACTORS; CLOSED PLASMA DEVICES; ELEMENTS; EPITHERMAL REACTORS; EVALUATION; EXPERIMENTAL REACTORS; FAST REACTORS; FBR TYPE REACTORS; FISSION; HADRON REACTIONS; LIQUID METAL COOLED REACTORS; LMFBR TYPE REACTORS; MATERIALS; METALS; NEUTRON REACTIONS; NUCLEAR REACTIONS; NUCLEON REACTIONS; POWER REACTORS; RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS; REACTORS; RESEARCH AND TEST REACTORS; SODIUM COOLED REACTORS; THERMONUCLEAR DEVICES; THERMONUCLEAR REACTORS; TOKAMAK DEVICES; WASTES; ZERO POWER REACTORS; 700206* - Fusion Power Plant Technology- Environmental Aspects; 220500 - Nuclear Reactor Technology- Environmental Aspects; 052000 - Nuclear Fuels- Waste Management

Citation Formats

Koch, M., and Kazimi, M. S. A comparison of radioactive waste from first generation fusion reactors and fast fission reactors with actinide recycling. United States: N. p., 1991. Web. doi:10.2172/5440034.
Koch, M., & Kazimi, M. S. A comparison of radioactive waste from first generation fusion reactors and fast fission reactors with actinide recycling. United States. https://doi.org/10.2172/5440034
Koch, M., and Kazimi, M. S. 1991. "A comparison of radioactive waste from first generation fusion reactors and fast fission reactors with actinide recycling". United States. https://doi.org/10.2172/5440034. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/5440034.
@article{osti_5440034,
title = {A comparison of radioactive waste from first generation fusion reactors and fast fission reactors with actinide recycling},
author = {Koch, M. and Kazimi, M. S.},
abstractNote = {Limitations of the fission fuel resources will presumably mandate the replacement of thermal fission reactors by fast fission reactors that operate on a self-sufficient closed fuel cycle. This replacement might take place within the next one hundred years, so the direct competitors of fusion reactors will be fission reactors of the latter rather than the former type. Also, fast fission reactors, in contrast to thermal fission reactors, have the potential for transmuting long-lived actinides into short-lived fission products. The associated reduction of the long-term activation of radioactive waste due to actinides makes the comparison of radioactive waste from fast fission reactors to that from fusion reactors more rewarding than the comparison of radioactive waste from thermal fission reactors to that from fusion reactors. Radioactive waste from an experimental and a commercial fast fission reactor and an experimental and a commercial fusion reactor has been characterized. The fast fission reactors chosen for this study were the Experimental Breeder Reactor 2 and the Integral Fast Reactor. The fusion reactors chosen for this study were the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor and a Reduced Activation Ferrite Helium Tokamak. The comparison of radioactive waste parameters shows that radioactive waste from the experimental fast fission reactor may be less hazardous than that from the experimental fusion reactor. Inclusion of the actinides would reverse this conclusion only in the long-term. Radioactive waste from the commercial fusion reactor may always be less hazardous than that from the commercial fast fission reactor, irrespective of the inclusion or exclusion of the actinides. The fusion waste would even be far less hazardous, if advanced structural materials, like silicon carbide or vanadium alloy, were employed.},
doi = {10.2172/5440034},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/5440034}, journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Mon Apr 01 00:00:00 EST 1991},
month = {Mon Apr 01 00:00:00 EST 1991}
}