3/17/2008 Colloquium - Russell E. Stachowski

Russell E. Stachowski

Event Info

Title: The US PRISM and the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership

Date: Mar 17, 2008
Location: 3105 Etcheverry Hall
Time: 4-5pm

Abstract

The Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP) is dependent upon a credible program for construction and operation of commercial fuel cycle facilities and a fast reactor. Two of the required facilities – an Advanced Recycling Reactor (ARR) and a Nuclear Fuel Recycling Center (NFRC) – emerged from the expenditure of approximately $100 million in government funds during the Advanced Liquid Metal Reactor program. The PRISM reactor incorporates defense-in-depth, active intervention systems, active emergency backups, back-up emergency systems, and a passive, inherently safe system design that does not depend upon control rods to SCRAM, etc., resulting in small, modular reactor concept that is competitive with large light water reactors and capable of economically converting long-lived radioactive elements (e.g., plutonium and other transuranics) into shorter-lived radioactive elements while producing electricity. The NFRC, based on the proliferation resistant low cost, dry electrometallurgical process for spent fuel recycle, would separate light water reactor SNF and fast reactor SNF into their reusable and non-reusable constituents, and fabricate such fuel for use in the destruction of transuranic elements in the ARR fast reactor.