Analytical/Inorganic Chemistry Seminar – Matthew Heaney, Chemistry Graduate Student
About the event
Speaker: Matthew P. Heaney, chemistry graduate student
Title: MOX Fuels: From the Cradle to the Grave
Abstract: Mixed oxide (MOX) fuels are a class of alternative nuclear fuels to the commonly used UO2 fuel. Their application aims to address some of the significant challenges facing the UO2 fuel cycle and nuclear energy in general, namely spent fuel waste and the production of transuranics which contributes to the long-term radiotoxicity of waste. MOX fuels have been the source of research efforts for a few decades, from their fabrication to their implementation in various types of reactors and their eventual end as spent fuel. Therefore, it is essential to look at the entirety of the MOX fuel cycle to properly understand the improvements that MOX fuel makes and what unique challenges its fuel cycle faces. For instance, whether MOX fuels will act as a feasible source of power or an efficient means of transmutation. As such, this talk will cover recent literature on how MOX fuel is made, how it behaves in a reactor either as a power source or as a transmutation material, and how to properly dispose of MOX fuel.
References:
1. Khot, P. M.; Singh, G.; Shelke, B. K.; Surendra, B.; Yadav, M. K.; Mishra, A. K.; Afzal, M.; Panakkal, J. P. Development of recycling processes for clean rejected MOX fuel pellets. Nuclear Engineering and Design 2014, 270, 227-237.
2. Raj, D.; Kannan, U. Analysis for the use of thorium based fuel in LWRs. Annals of Nuclear Energy 2022, 174, 109162-109162.
3. Kooyman, T.; Buiron, L.; Rimpault, G. A comparison of curium, neptunium and americium transmutation feasibility. Annals of Nuclear Energy 2018, 112, 748-758.
4. Carbol, P.; Fors, P.; Van Winckel, S.; Spahiu, K. Corrosion of irradiated MOX fuel in presence of dissolved H2. Journal of Nuclear Materials 2009, 392 (1), 45-54.