Date: 11/02/05

Presented by : Dr P Gilchrist, NDA. ON BEHALF of NEXIA

International Spent Fuel Management Study

Options & Assessment

Slide 2

International Spent Fuel Study

• CONTENTS

• Introduction & Inventory

• Scope of the Study

• Selection

• International Spent Fuel Management Approaches

• Assessment Criteria

• Key Conclusions & Findings

• Q & A

Slide 3

Introduction

• Background to the Study

NDA seek a strategy for UK spent fuels and UK issues.

Gain knowledge of international practices in a UK context.

UK SF Inventory

International SF

Study

UK SF Scenario Analysis

DECISION MAKING

INFORMINFORM

Slide 4

UK Spent Fuel Inventory

Order of Quantity

(tHM)

Fuel Group 1 Bulk Metallic Spent Fuel 1000

Fuel Group 2 PWR Spent Fuel 1000

Fuel Group 3 AGR Spent Fuel 1000

Fuel Group 4 Irradiated metal fuel <~1% U235 (Exotic) 100

Fuel Group 5 Irradiated metal fuel >~1%, <~6% U235 (Exotic) 1

Fuel Group 6 Irradiated oxide fuel as whole pins / assemblies (Exotic)

10

Fuel Group 7 Irradiated oxide fuel as pieces / PIE debris (Exotic) 10

Fuel Group 8 Irradiated MOX (Exotic) 1

Fuel Group 9 Unirradiated low Pu content thermal MOX (Exotic) 1

Fuel Group 10 Unirradiated high Pu content FR MOX (Exotic) 1

Fuel Group 11 Irradiated Uranium carbide fuels (Exotic) 1

Fuel Group 12 Carbide fuel containing plutonium (Exotic) 1

Fuel Group 13 Irradiated HEU fuel (Exotic) 1

Commercial

~ 90%

Exotic

~ 10%

Slide 5

Scope of the Study

• Management Approaches

• Fixed Term Storage (up to 300 years)

• Treatment *

• Packaging for Disposal

• Disposal

*includes Engineered Wasteform, Fuel Conditioning & Recycle

Slide 6

Scope of the Study

• Study Assumptions

• NO Preferences or Weighting

• NO Ranking

• NO Strategy comparisons (e.g. Dispose v Treat)

• NO Scenario development

• Exclude MOD owned material, waste Pu residues, separated Pu powder

Slide 7

Scope of the Study

• Process

• 3 Phases

• Internal Expert Panels

• plus BNFL Group Legal

• External Peer Review (Battelle/PNNL, USA)

Review of I nternational

SF Management Approaches

Selection of Options forAssessment

Assessment of

Options

Slide 8

Selection of Options for Assessment

Storage3

Treatment22

Disposal13

Packaging11

Packaging2

Storage3

• Commercial Technologies

• Developed beyond Lab scale

• Exception made for Disposal

• 13 Higher Maturity Options

Disposal3

Treatment5

Over 50 Options 13 Options

• Higher Maturity Options

Slide 9

International Storage Approaches

• Storage Examples

USACask: Several

Vault: Fort St Vrain 2.2tHM

Vault: INL 22tHM

JAPANCask: Several

Pond: Tokai 474tHM

GERMANYCask: Gorleben 3800tHMPond: Karlsruhe 55tHM

• Pond

• Dry Cask

• Dry Vault

• Up to 50 years experience

UKPond: Sellafield 14,000tHM

Vault: Wylfa 929tHM

HUNGARYVault: Paks 595tHM

RUSSIAPond: Novoronezh 600tHM

FRANCEPond: La Hague 14,500tHM

Vault: Cascad 180tHM

SWEDENPond: CLAB 9000tHM

FINLANDPond: Olkiluoto1270tHM

Slide 10

International Treatment Approaches

• Treatment Examples

JAPANPUREX 200tHM/y

Molten Salts

INDIAPUREX 275tHM/y

FRANCEPUREX 2400tHM/y

UREX

UKPUREX 1350tHM/y

Molten SaltsMelting & Compact

USAUREX

Molten SaltsMelting & Compact

RUSSIAPUREX 400tHM/y

Molten Salts

• PUREX

• UREX

• Molten Salts (Condition)

• Molten Salts (Recycle)

• Melting & Compaction

Slide 11

International Disposal Approaches

• Disposal Examples

FINLANDDeep Geological

UKDeep GeologicalDeep Boreholes

USADeep GeologicalDeep Boreholes

SWEDENDeep GeologicalDeep Boreholes

SPAINDeep Geological

AUSTRALIADeep Boreholes

RUSSIADeep Boreholes

JAPANDeep

Geological

• Deep Geological

• Deep Boreholes

• Above Ground

• No Operational Spent Fuel Disposal

Slide 12

International Packaging Approaches

• Packaging Examples

FINLANDOverpack

UKOverpack

Cement Encapsulation

USAOverpack

SWEDENOverpack

• Overpack

• Cement Encapsulation

• Many options for LLW, ILW and liquid HLW (excluded here)

Slide 13

Higher Maturity Options for Assessment

Fixed Term Storage

• Wet Pond Store

• Dry Cask

• Dry Vault

Treatment

• Melting & Compaction

• UREX and equivalent

• PUREX

• Molten Salts (Fuel Conditioning)

• Molten Salts (Recycle)

Disposal

• Deep Geological Disposal

• Deep Borehole

• Above Ground Disposal

Packaging for Disposal

• Overpack

• Cement Encapsulation

Slide 14

Assessment Criteria

APPLICABILITY

• Ease of Engineering Implementation

• Technical Complexity• Technical Viability

RISKS

• Technology Risks• Environmental Impact• Health and Safety Risk

• Security and Safeguards• Foreclosure

STATUS

• Technology Readiness Level• Time to UK Deployment

• Alignment with InternationalStrategy

• UK Implementation

LEGAL & REG

• Regulator Acceptability• Public Acceptability• Planning Permission

• Public Inquiry• Justification• Article 37

• Site Licence Impact•Discharge Authorisations

Impact

ECONOMICS • Fixed Costs

• Variable Costs• Throughput/Capacity

Slide 15

Main Conclusions

• For Storage

• Stored to allow fuel to meet conditions or pending decision

• Pond Storage is widely used BUT global trend towards dry storage

• Experience up to 50 years, but over 300 years?

• Metallic fuels present corrosion issues for all store types

• Dry Casks judged to be least expensive option at low volume

• Dry storage restricted for high burn-up fuels without pre-cooling

• Drying of wet fuel achieved

• Retrieval and future end state may impact choice

Slide 16

Main Conclusions

• For Treatment

• 3 Treatment types–Engineered Wasteform, Fuel Conditioning, Recycle

• Only PUREX is established on industrial scale

• Development of immature options focussed on Molten Salts and UREX

• Fuel quantities/characteristics have significant impact on applicability

• No single treatment stands out as a universal option for all UK fuel

• At low throughput Molten salts judged to cost less than PUREX/UREX

• Large throughput favours PUREX/UREX

Slide 17

Main Conclusions

• For Disposal

• No operating Disposal facilities - earliest planned for 2017 (US)

• Broad preference for Deep Geological Disposal

• Deep Borehole judged next most mature

• Above Ground Disposal has significant issues and least mature

• Metal fuels perceived as more problematical for all options

• Retrievability planned for by some countries

Slide 18

Main Conclusions

• For Packaging for Disposal

• Linked to Disposal options

• No commercial SF packaging facilities yet

• Overpack is most advanced concept and widely accepted

• Many overpack designs/materials – Copper, Steel, “exotic” Alloys, etc.

• Cement Encapsulation for Magnox in UK, but usually ILW

• Metal fuels perceived as more problematical due to corrosion

Slide 19

Key Study Findings

• Key Findings

• National Nuclear Power Policy has influence

• 3 Types of Worldwide policies: Recycle, Direct Disposal, Storage

• Interim storage is required in any strategy

• Only 4 management technologies are deployed industrially (e.g. PUREX, Pond Store, Dry Casks, Dry Vaults)

• Only 8 emerging technologies developed beyond Lab Scale now

Slide 20

Key Study Findings

• Key Findings

• Some UK Fuel has Acute and Chronic issues, impacting on timing

• Deployment dependant on commitment, not just technical maturity

• Potential impact from new build and policy of maximum recycle

• Difficult to achieve single solution for whole range of fuels

Slide 21

International Spent Fuel Study

ANY QUESTIONS?