Transmutation of Fission Waste
In-Zinerator
As part of the Advanced Energy Initiative, the U.S. Department of Energy has recently announced the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP) that would recycle spent fuel to expand the capacity of geological repositories. Initiation of the supporting activities is underway. These include a scoping assessment and design of the fuel reprocessing and separation systems and the transmutation of actinides using fast reactors and accelerator-driven systems. Recently initiated at Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), a scoping level design for a sub-critical transmutation blanket driven by Z-Pinch fusion has been proposed as an alternate option to the use of fast reactors for recycling spent fuel.
Numerous fusion-based designs have been developed over the past three decades based on other concepts. The initial assessment indicates the Z-Pinch could be an attractive option for burning tons of actinides (Pu, Np, Am, Cm) or minor actinides (Am, Cm) produced by fission fuel reprocessing plants. The In-Zinerator seems to offer advantages over fast reactors in terms of transmutation efficiency and support ratio. This application may shorten the fusion development path, offering a more near-term application while providing valuable experience in designing a net power producing power plant.
Publications
UWFDM-1295 Preliminary Study of Time-Dependent Isotopic Inventory of the In-Zinerator Actinide Management System; P. Phruksarojanakun, P.P.H. Wilson, L. El-Guebaly, B.B. Cipiti, R. Grady, September 2006. (13 pages, 697 kB)
Engineering Issues Facing Transmutation of Actinides in Z-Pinch Fusion Power Plant; L. El-Guebaly, B. Cipiti, P.H. Wilson, P. Phruksarojanakun, R. Grady, I. Sviatoslavsky, November 2006 [presented at the 17th ANS Topical Meeting on Fusion Energy, 13-15 November 2006, Albuquerque NM]. (6 pages, 465 kB)
UWFDM-1307 Isotopic Analysis of the In-Zinerator Actinide Management System; P. Phruksarojanakun, P.P.H. Wilson, B.B. Cipiti, R.M. Grady, November 2006 [presented at the 17th ANS Topical Meeting on Fusion Energy, 13-15 November 2006, Albuquerque NM]. (10 pages, 532 kB)
Isotopic Analysis of the In-Zinerator Actinide Management System; P. Wilson, P. Phruksarojanakun, L. El-Guebaly, R. Grady, B. Cipiti, November 2006 [presented at the 17th ANS Topical Meeting on Fusion Energy, 13-15 November 2006, Albuquerque NM]. (19 pages, 519 kB)
UWFDM-1302 Analysis of Engineering Issues Facing the In-Zinerator Z-Pinch Fusion Device Using MCNP; R. Grady, P. Phruksarojanakun, P.P.H. Wilson, L.A. El-Guebaly, B. Cipiti, August 2007. (20 pages, 1.1 MB)