利用创新技术管理核废料

gasparri克劳迪娅

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2024年5月22日

满足世界日益增长的安全需求, 负担得起的 electricity while maintaining a low carbon footprint is one of the greatest challenges of this century. Bringing together nuclear fission with “low carbon” technologies can enable this much-needed “green energy” transition in an optimized way.

Public perception and government support of nuclear deployment are rapidly changing in a positive way due to the pressing challenges of climate change and energy independence and security. 每个国家都可以选择自己的能源结构, 但重要的是要考虑到目前可用的所有技术.

经常, 反对将核能作为安全能源的论据, 负担得起的, 低碳能源与如何以及在哪里储存核废料的“问题”有关. It should be noted that even in countries where nuclear power is not adopted for energy/electricity production, nuclear storage facilities and repositories are needed to safely store radioactive waste, whether from the nuclear sector or from the use of radioactive materials in the medical, 研究及工业部门.

The implementation of nuclear as an energy source adds on the need to propose a long term strategy for the management of nuclear waste. 乏核燃料(SNF)和某些再处理, high-level waste (HLW) resulting from the operation of nuclear power plants specifically require treatment and plans for long term management and disposal. Many countries have faced difficulties and controversy regarding their long-term management strategies.

管理核废料

Each choice and long-term strategy for managing SNF and HLW is based on a country’s future energy needs and the waste type, 体积, 放射学特征. There are currently two options that countries can safely and securely utilize in accordance with international treaties and rules. 这两者都需要考虑,并且可以并行实现. Regarding the implementation of repositories for SNFs there is nowadays a generally new imperative for countries to propose and develop a unified credible strategy to safely and permanently manage SNFs.

选项1 - SNF为废物

60多年来, countries have faced challenges in deciding how to permanently manage and store HLW and SNF. A permanent solution being considered for the long-term containment and isolation of HLW and SNF involves using deep geological repositories. Finland and Sweden have specifically adopted and developed the option of deep geological repositories based on the mined repository concept and are proceeding with their plans. 其他深层地质选择和技术也在考虑之中, 包括使用深钻孔代替采矿储存库.

Deep geological repositories are designed and built to enable the isolation and containment of HLW and SNF through a combination of engineered and natural barriers, 被称为多屏障工程方法. The synergistic exploitation of several redundant engineered/natural barriers ensures the protection of the environment from SNF’s inadvertent release and potential transport. 同时, it minimizes the interaction between the environment and SNFs for several thousands of years.

选项2 - SNF作为资产,可用于再处理

当今世界上大多数核电站都是“热”反应堆, where a so-called "fissile" fuel is exploited thanks to the presence of abundant "slow/thermal" neutrons. 可裂变物质是一种能在捕获慢中子时发生裂变的物质, resulting in a reaction that generates more neutrons for other nuclear reactions and thermal/kinetics energy. Most nuclear power plants operating around the world today rely primarily on uranium-235 because it is easily fissionable, 而铀-238则不是.

用于能源生产的发电厂产生的高放射性废物(例如.g. SNF)含有大量未使用的燃料, 主要由未使用的铀-238组成, 未使用的铀- 235, 钚, 裂变产物和锕系元素. 在核反应堆中产生, 钚 and actinides have a very long "radioactive life" and are the main reason for keeping radioactive waste isolated and shielded for hundreds of thousands of years.

在50年代到70年代之间, 第二类反应堆是为了更好地开采铀储量而开发的. The first reactor to produce electricity was EBR-I: the Experimental Breeder Reactor-I, 1951年在美国首次产生电力的快速反应堆. 这些快速增殖反应堆产生的燃料比消耗的要多, 主要使用未使用的铀-238和核反应的副产品作为燃料. 当被快中子瞄准时, 所谓的放射性“废物”可以被裂变, 产生的能量.

一种核技术提供多种解决方案

目前,世界上大多数核电站的运行方式为 热能反应堆, largely due to countries halting the development of fast reactors in the past decades. 许多原因都与快堆的有限成功有关, from a non-policy point of view one may consider their construction and operating procedures, 技术挑战, 需要额外的临时设施, 铀资源丰富, 以及燃料再循环(后处理)所需的过程. Some countries have adopted or are still considering using fast reactors for either electricity generation or R&D服务.

A large deployment of 热能反应堆 worldwide may push for a reintroduction of fast reactor technology to better recycle and reuse nuclear materials, reduce the quantity of radioactive waste to be stored in geological repositories and minimize the time required for their containment and isolation. 应当指出,这两种选择都可以考虑, option 1 is a responsibility towards the current status and trends of nuclear power generation, 方案2可由各国根据其需要加以考虑. 在这种情况下, Jensen Hughes offers guidance and consulting services driven by technical excellence and a holistic and comprehensive technological approach to evaluate each client’s needs.

作为核工业专家, 彩宝网平台进行可行性研究,并制定安全战略计划, 有效管理核废料和核材料的使用. 彩宝网平台的方法是专注于为复杂的挑战提供合理的解决方案, 安全保障是每项评估的重中之重.

克劳迪娅·加斯帕里尼的大头照

作者简介

gasparri克劳迪娅
Claudia is a Senior Consultant specializing in nuclear materials degradation in fission and fission technology transfer to fusion concerning water chemistry optimization and corrosion and protection of materials in fusion power plants.