Plasma Mass Separator for TRISO Fuel Recycling

A highly desirable goal of next-generation programs for nuclear energy ¿ e.g., the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP), the Advanced Fuel Cycle Initiative (AFCI) and UREX+ (URanium EXtraction Plus other separations) ¿ is the efficient separation of highly radioactive fission products from spent actinide wastes, without explicit plutonium separation. However, current research is focused on spent fuel from light water reactors, whereas advanced High Temperature Reactors (HGTR¿s) use tri-structural isotropic (TRISO) fuel. This project will explore the feasibility of using Archimedes Filter Technology to separate fission products from actinides by atomic mass in spent fuel, in preparation for further treatment by UREX+. Implementation of the Archimedes Filter Technology has the potential to simplify subsequent chemical separations in UREX+. Commercial Applications and other Benefits as described by the awardee: Separation of spent fuel by atomic mass would enable the inclusion of HGTR¿s in the nuclear recycle loop and produce a proliferation-resistant actinide product that can be burned in a reactor. Removal of actinides from fission products greatly expands the long term capacity of a geologic repository.