The effects of isotopic separation on closed nuclear fuel cycles

This paper investigates the potential benefits to the fuel cycle outcomes of removing a single isotope during separation processes. Two strategies for managing the removed isotope are considered. The first strategy looks at removal of a short to intermediate lived isotope from a mass stream to be recycled and subsequently recycling its decay daughter in a transmuting reactor. The second investigates the effect of removing a long lived fission product from high level waste and recycling it into the transmuting reactor. This analysis shows that the removal of Cm-244 using the first strategy provides a marked benefit to several fuel cycle metrics. The second strategy benefits the long term radioactivity measured from the high level waste from isotopes including Zr-93 and Cs-137.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science in Engineering

Level thesis:degree_level

Masters

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Nuclear Engineering

Grantor

The University of Texas at Austin

Year dc:date.issued

2012

Author dc:creator

• Flanagan, Robert Ryan

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Schneider, Erich A.

Committee member dc:contributor.committeemember

• Deinert, Mark

• Isotopic
• Nuclear fuel cycle

Identifier

doi:10.15781/T2F47GW0K

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:repositories.lib.utexas.edu:2152/41442