[ RadSafe ] Reprocessing

[JGinniver at aol.com]

Its my understanding that currently reprocessing is uneconomic.   Germany at 
least, and possibly other countries, have indicated that they would  like to 
cancel their reprocessing contracts with British Nuclear Group in the  UK.  
Even British Energy, the largest of the two nuclear generating  companies has 
stated that they the current contracts with BNG are uneconomic and  that they 
would like to cancel their contracts with BNG and have an American  system of 
payment into a government fund, based on MWs generated, and direct  disposal.  
However I believe that this is politically unacceptable as it  would open the 
doors to other countries cancelling their reprocessing contracts  with BNG.  I 
believe that Sizewell B, the only UK PWR has not, as yet,  decided on the final 
management option for their fuel.  
 
Historically reprocessing made sense in the UK for two reasons, the 1st  
generation of commercial nuclear plants used natural uranium fuel clad in a  
magnesium metal can.  They were termed Magnox reactors (MAGnesium  Non-OXidising 
metal).  This clad material was very unstable once it had  been removed from the 
reactor and placed in storage ponds.  As a result the  only real option was 
reprocessing.  Significant problems occurred when they  were faults with the 
reprocessing plants and the fuel had to be stored for  extended periods.  The 
second reason was that from the early 1950s the UK  worked towards a Commercial 
Fast Breeder Reactor programme, consequently all of  the fuel from bothe the 
1st generation of plants (Magnox) and the 2nd generation  (AGR) was reprocessed 
to and the depleted uranium and plutonium stockpiled for  use in commercial 
fast Breeder Plants.  Unfortunately the Fast Breeder  Programme in the UK was 
terminated in 1994 and there is no longer a use for the  stockpiles of depleted 
uranium and Plutonium.  I believe that Plutonium in  the UK is now regarded 
as having no-commercial value and is now treated as  simple a historic waste to 
be disposed of.  I don't know the history  within France which has the only 
other major commercial reprocessing plant at  Cap-le-Hague, but they also had a 
strong fast Breeder Programme which culminated  in the construction of 
Super-phenix, a commercial power plant with an installed  capacity of around 1200 
Mw.  Unfortunately this plant was shut down after  less than 1 effective full 
power year of operation.  Japan is one of the  countries currently pursuing the 
construction of a commercial sized reprocessing  plant, but again this was 
part of their so called pluthermal project.  I  understand they recently received 
approval to restart the mothballed Monju Fast  Breeder reactor which is 
intended to provide some impetus to restarting the work  toward a commercial Fast 
Breeder.
 
Given that the US no longer has a Fast Breeder Programme, Clinch River was  
cancelled by the same nice Mr Carter that prohibited reprocessing.  That  
reprocessing is not seen as commercially viable, and that the track record  in the 
US of commercial reprocessing (West Valley) has not been very  successful.  
Why would anyone want to build a commercial reprocessing plant  in the US, or 
contract to either the UK, France or Japan if it becomes available  to undertake 
reprocessing?
 
My personal view is that for the time being, spent fuel should go for  direct 
disposal in an underground facility, but that it should be disposed of in  a 
manner that allows future generations to recover and reprocess it if they so  
wish.
 
To end on a Radiological Note, I believe that a few years ago (<5?) the  
European Union funded a study to see whether the doses to the public were  greater 
from reprocessing than from direct disposal and the mining, milling and  
manufacture of new fuel.  I understand that there was no significant  difference 
in the assessed collective doses to those exposed from reprocessing  than to 
those exposed through the manufacture of new fuel.  They key  difference was in 
the location of the exposed populations.  For  reprocessing doses were mainly 
received by the populations of the countries  benefiting from the electricity 
generated by nuclear plants, whereas for new  fuel the doses were mainly 
received by groups that didn't directly benefit from  the electricity generation 
(although they would benefit somewhat from the mining  and milling activities).
 
Don, I would be interested in the reasons why you feel that commercial  
nuclear fuel should be reprocessed.
 
Regards,
    Julian