-This paper reviews some leading novel energy conversion approaches which are aimed at improving power generation efficiency and/or reducing harmful emissions. Some of the concepts used for cycle improvement are higher top temperatures, improved combustion systems, evasion of the Carnot limit by integration with fuel cells and direct nuclear energy conversion to power (the nuclear generator), r...

Partitioning and transmutation (P&T) aims at making nuclear energy more sustainable from the viewpoint of the back-end of the fuel cycle by minimising the high-level waste with respect to its mass, radiotoxicity and (possibly) repository risk. P&T mainly deals with the management – i.e. transmutation and/or special conditioning and confinement – of minor actinides and fission products, but invo...

the safe and effective management of radioactive waste has been given utmost importance from the very inception of nuclear industry in india and it covers the entire range of activities from handling, treatment, conditioning, transport, storage and finally disposal. radioactive waste is generated at various stages of the nuclear fuel cycle, which includes the mining and milling of uranium ore, ...

There are 103 commercial nuclear power stations currently operating in the United States, generating a total of about 2 000 t of spent fuel each year. Over 40 000 t of spent fuel have accumulated since these plants began operation, with the fuel being stored first in at-reactor spent fuel storage pools and later in independent spent fuel storage installations and dry cask storage facilities. Th...

The cover shows the sun over a nuclear power station. Tritium is generated by nuclear fusion reactions in the sun and would be generated in terrestrial nuclear fusion power production. It is also produced as part of the fuel cycle in current nuclear fi ssion power production and has several uses in industry.

The so called Innovative Options, within the field of nuclear fission systems, promise radical improvements in the fuel cycle with regard to waste disposal, non-proliferation and the possibility of severe accidents. In particular, new systems based on the use of accelerators and thorium [1,2,3] have been proposed for nuclear power production and waste incineration. In this paper we consider pot...

Nuclear facilities have not been designed to withstand a deliberate crash by a jumbo jet full of fuel or many other types of attack. A successful attack could have widespread and catastrophic consequences for both the environment and public health. The extent of damage caused will depend on the type of nuclear facility, the nature of the attack, weather conditions and the success of mitigation ...

In this study, the mass flow in double-strata nuclear fuel cycle is analysed based on mass inventory balance model, and the cost evaluation is carried out. As the commercial reactor fuel cycle, which is assumed to be sustainable in a significantly long term, the following different reactors and fuel cycles are considered: (1) Scheme of light water reactor (LWR-UOX and -MOX) based on sea water u...