Nuclear Spent Fuel Management: The Possibility of On-site Dry Cask Storage Introduction

研究了将乏核燃料临时储存引入日本核燃料循环的政治和技术优势。一旦六合町后处理厂开始运行，8万吨低浓缩铀(LEU)乏燃料必须储存在一个远离反应堆(AFR)的临时存储地点，直到2100年。如果后续的后处理厂开始运行，消耗的低浓缩铀将在2050年前达到30,000 THM的峰值，然后下降，直到第二个后处理厂运行结束。另一方面，在这种情况下，高放废物(HLW)的最终处置地点的数量将需要增加两倍。如果不进行后处理或使用MOX，到2100年，乏燃料量将达到11.5万吨以上。然而，主要使用临时储存可以简化乏燃料的管理，并提高成本和安全性。

Political and technical advantages to introduce spent nuclear fuel interim storage into Japan's nuclear fuel cycle are examined. Once Rokkasho reprocessing plant starts operation, 80,000 tHM of spent Low Enriched Uranium (LEU) fuel must be stored in an Away From Reactor (AFR) interim storage site until 2100. If a succeeding reprocessing plant starts operating, the spent LEU will reach its peak of 30,000 tHM before 2050, and then will decrease until the end of the second reprocessing plant operation. On the other hand, tripled number of final disposal sites for High Level Nuclear Waste (HLW) will be necessary with this condition. If there is no reprocessing or MOX use, the amount of spent fuel will reach over 115,000 tones at the year of 2100. However, the spent fuel management could be simplified and also the cost and the security would be improved by using an interim storage primarily.