Analysis of the Necessity and Usefulness of MA Temporary Storage Technology for the Sustainable Nuclear Fuel Cycle

The separation of minor actinides (MA) from high-level radioactive waste (HLW) represents a critical technology for the sustainable utilization of nuclear energy, and the impact is higher the earlier it is introduced.Nevertheless, the advent of fast reactors (FR), indispensable for the transmutation of recovered MA, is projected to materialize no earlier than the latter half of this century.The temporal gap could span several decades, contingent on the timing of MA separation implementation.To address this gap, the temporary storage technology of MA has become a crucial element.In this study, four future nuclear power generation scenarios were considered, and the impact of implementing MA separation and temporary storage technologies on MA inventory, the number of vitrified waste canisters, and the footprint of geological repository were evaluated using the dynamic nuclear fuel cycle simulator NMB4.In the envisioned future nuclear power generation scenarios, the total generating capacity from 2030 onward is set at 36 GWe.Multiple scenarios have been defined-LWR cycle, LWR/FR coexistence, FR transition, and FR delayed transitioneach differing in the type of reactor introduced when replacing existing reactors or constructing new ones.The results demonstrated the necessity and effectiveness of introducing MA separation and temporary storage technologies.