Review of Integral Experiments for Minor Actinide Management
Spent nuclear fuel contains minor actinides (MAs) such as neptunium, americium and
curium, which require careful management. This becomes even more important when mixed
oxide (MOX) fuel is being used on a large scale since more MAs will accumulate in
the spent fuel. One way to manage these MAs is to transmute them in nuclear reactors,
including in light water reactors, fast reactors or accelerator-driven subcritical
systems. The transmutation of MAs, however, is not straightforward, as the loading
of MAs generally affects physics parameters, such as coolant void, Doppler and burn-up
reactivity. This report focuses on nuclear data requirements for minor actinide management,
the review of existing integral data and the determination of required experimental
work, the identification of bottlenecks and possible solutions, and the recommendation
of an action programme for international co-operation.
Published on March 06, 2015
In series:Nuclear Scienceview more titles