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Spent Nuclear Fuel

¹ Enviros Spain SL, P^o Rubí 29-33, 08197 Valldoreix, Spain
² Enresa-Enviros Waste Management and Sustainability Chair, Technical University of Catalonia (UPC), 08034 Barcelona, Spain
E-mail: jbruno{at}enviros.biz
³ Department of Geological Sciences, University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1005, USA E-mail: rodewing{at}umich.edu

The primary waste form resulting from nuclear energy production is spent nuclear fuel (SNF). There are a number of different types of fuel, but they are predominantly uranium based, mainly UO₂ or, in some cases, metallic U. The UO₂ in SNF is a redox-sensitive semiconductor consisting of a fine-grained (5-10 µm), polycrystalline aggregate containing fission-product and transuranium elements in concentrations of 4 to 6 atomic percent. The challenge is to predict the long-term behavior of UO₂ under a range of redox conditions. Experimental results and observations from natural systems, such as the Oklo natural reactors, have been used to assess the long-term performance of SNF.

KEYWORDS: UO₂, spent nuclear fuel, actinides, fission products, Oklo

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