Title: Study of Minor Actinides Transmutation in PWR MOX fuel,
Abstract: The management of long-lived radionuclides in spent fuel is a key issue to
achieve the closed nuclear fuel cycle and the sustainable development of
nuclear energy. Partitioning-Transmutation is supposed to be an efficient
method to treat the long-lived radionuclides in spent fuel. Some Minor
Actinides (MAs) have very long half-lives among the radionuclides in the spent
fuel. Accordingly, the study of MAs transmutation is a significant work for the
post-processing of spent fuel.
In the present work, the transmutations in Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR)
mixed oxide (MOX) fuel are investigated through the Monte Carlo based code RMC.
Two kinds of MAs, $^{237}$Np and five MAs ($^{237}$Np, $^{241}$Am, $^{243}$Am,
$^{244}$Cm and $^{245}$Cm) are incorporated homogeneously into the MOX fuel
assembly. The transmutation of MAs is simulated with different initial MOX
concentrations.
The results indicate an overall nice efficiency of transmutation in both
initial MOX concentrations, especially for the two kinds of MAs primarily
generated in the UOX fuel, $^{237}$Np and $^{241}$Am. In addition, the
inclusion of $^{237}$Np in MOX has no large influence for other MAs, while the
transmutation efficiency of $^{237}$Np is excellent. The transmutation of MAs
in MOX fuel depletion is expected to be a new, efficient nuclear spent fuel
management method for the future nuclear power generation.