Processing, Waste Management and Transport of Nuclear Fuel
Nuclear power materials must undergo various involved procedures before and after use:
- Mined uranium has to be enriched to increase the proportion of the right isotope for a sustained chain reaction
- Radioactive waste from enriched and spent reactor fuel has to be isolated and stored because it is highly radioactive and can also give out significant heat
- Package radioactive waste into a robust and safe form for long term storage
- Safe transportation of hazardous radioactive waste to safe purpose built interim stores
Exclusive to RSC members: full text e-books from the Virtual Library via Springer including
- Chapter: The Applications of Photocatalytic Waste Minimisation in Nuclear Fuel Processing from Environmental Photochemistry Part II
- Partial abstract: Nuclear fuel processing has two main waste management requirements: (1) the disposal of waste organic solvent (secondary waste) generated by solvent extraction processes during the separation and purification of uranium and plutonium in nuclear fuel and materials processing; and (2) the management of the small fractions of U and Pu that are inseparable during reprocessing (primary waste). Environmental impact associated with fuel use and reprocessing can be minimised by addressing either of these requirements.
- Chapter: Use of Macrocycles in Nuclear-Waste Cleanup: A Realworld Application of a Calixcrown in Cesium Separation Technology from Macrocyclic Chemistry
The RSC bought together UK experts to examine the scientific challenges associated with geological disposal of nuclear waste.
UK nuclear waste disposal plans too soon and too scanty
Scientists urge Defra to amend plans for nuclear waste repository
Downloadable Files
Materials for Nuclear Waste Management Report
Full report
PDF (277k)
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Adobe Acrobat Reader
Also of interest
Management of Ageing in Graphite Reactor Cores
Copyright: 2007Gareth B Neighbour
Discussing the scientific challenges and issues involved in this subject, this book is ideal for academics and industrialists, and is relevant to policy makers and governments.
Related Links
The nuclear fuel cycle
A fact file on the cycle of mining, enrichment, recovery and storage from the Institute of Engineering and Technology
Uranium enrichment
A factsheet from the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Nuclear waste management in detail
United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission gives detailed information on how waste comes about, hazards and safety
The types of waste from nuclear power plants
The Uranium Information Centre of the Australian Uranium Association discusses low level and high level waste and different types of disposal
Spent nuclear fuel casks
A diagram of a spent nuclear fuel transportation cask from the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Transportation of spent nuclear fuels
A fact sheet on the transportation of nuclear fuel from the Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management
Reprocessing spent nuclear fuel
A page from the Uranium Information Centre of the Australian Uranium Association discussing the recycling of nuclear fuel and World Commercial Reprocessing Capacity (tonnes per year) with a lists the countries which are most active in this area e.g. France, La Hague 1700; UK, Sellafield (THORP) 900; Russia, Ozersk (Mayak) 400; Japan (Rokkasho) 800
Nuclear transportation facts
Links to facts and figures, regulations and security from the World Nuclear Transport Institute
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