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ADVANCES IN REPROCESSING TECHNOLOGY IN INDIA

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PHWRSpent Fuel

Reprocessing

HLLW as Resource& Waste

Management

FBRReprocessing

THORIAReprocessing

Indian 3- stage Nuclear Power

Programme

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INDIAN NUCLEAR POWER PROGRAMME

• CLOSED FUEL CYCLE

PHWRNatural Uranium Fuel

STA

GE-

1

PHWRs -18BWR - 2PWR - 2

REPROCESSING

FBR ThTh

REPROCESSING PuPu

STA

GE-

2

233U

FBR FBTR-1PFBR-1

233UBREEDER

ThTh

REPROCESSING

233U233USTA

GE-

3

233U based reactor Kamini-1

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Reactor Type CapacityMW(e)

TAPS 1&2 BWR 2×160

TAPS 3&4 PHWR 2×540

RAPS 1&2 PHWR 100 & 200

RAPS 3-6 PHWR 4×220

MAPS 1&2 PHWR 170 & 200

NAPS 1&2 PHWR 2×220

KAPS 1&2 PHWR 2×220

KAIGA 1-4 PHWR 4×220

KNPP 1&2 VVER 2×1000

Operating Power Plants in India

Spent Fuel Storage facility

PHWR

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Power Plants under planning & Construction

Under Construction : 6

• Rajasthan -2 (PHWRs)• Kakrapar -2 (PHWRs)• Kudankulam - 2 (PWRs)

Under Planning : 36

• PHWR : 16• PWR : 20

Fast Breeder Reactor FBR : 1 (PFBR )

(Advanced stage of commissioning)Under Planning : 3

Advance Heavy Water Reactor (AHWR)

Under Planning: 1

Spent Fuel and Reprocessing

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Spent Fuel Reprocessing: PUREX Process

Reprocessing Plant, Tarapur

Reprocessing Plant, Kalpakkam

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TBP Based PUREX Extraction

Disassembly

& Dissolution

Spent Fuel PuDU

Fuel FF

Np

Tc

PHWR

Actinide Partitioning and

Group Separation

• Vitrified waste

• Deep Geological(under surveillance)

FBR/ADS

Based

P&T

Ln & Other FPs

HLLW

HAF

Minor Actinides

Oxide Fuel

Hulls and

Insolubles

129I as NaI

UU

Recovery of useful

radionuclide 137Cs, 90Sr, 106Ru, etc.

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Chopping of Spent Fuel

Robust Choppers with higher

throughput

Feed Clarification

Centrifuge and Ultrafilteration

Electrochemical In-situ U-Pu Partitioning

Development of Electrodes

Remote Replacement of Anode

Chemical reduction of U(IV) to U(IV)

using Adams catalyst

Performance of the Operating plants

to the Rated Capacities

Supply of Adequate Pu to FBR and

AHWR Programmes

Maximize the Recovery

Minimum Waste Generation and

Discharges to the Environment

Reduction in the Process Steps

Incorporation of Reliable and

Improved Equipment into Plants

Automation in Fuel Handling

operations

Development of Necessary Gadgets &

Retrofitting in the Existing Plants

11/27/2019 10नाभिकीय पुनश्चक्रण वर्गNuclear Recycle Group

FAST REACTOR SPENT FUELREPROCESSING

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Existing Challenges for FBR Reprocessing

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Dissolution of Fuels with high Pu/(U+Pu) Ratio

Size Limitation due to Criticality Problem

High Activity due to High Burnup (~200 GWd/t)

& Short Cooling Periods (~240 days)

Third Phase Formation and Polymerization of

Pu(IV) at Low acidities

U-Pu Separation for high Pu/(U+Pu) Ratio

Vacuum-Distillation Based Extractant and

Diluent Recovery

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• Modified PUREX process

• Higher homologous of TBP tested at Laboratory scale

• Use of Centrifugal Contractors

• Processing demonstration at Kg levels in Lead Mini Cells

• Engineering Scale adoption at CORAL Facility

FBTR Reprocessing : Present Scenario

Future Strategy • Processing of actual high burn up, short cooled spent fuel at engineering scale using

Higher homologues of TBP

Tri-Amyl Phosphate(TAP)

Tri-iso-Amyl Phosphate(TiAP)

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Molten Salt Electro refining Process.

Suitable for high burn up short cooled fuels

Laboratory Scale studies

Engineering scale facility in Glove box withprovision for manipulators

Feasibility of electro refining of UO2 established

Development of MgCl2 salt as alternateelectrolyte to CsCl-NaCl

Electrorefining of UO2 in MgCl2 Based electrolyteestablished.

Separation factors for Ce in this electrolytedetermined to be in the range 60-100 (EAEA-CRP- Project)

Pyrochemical Processing for metallic fuels

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THORIUM BASED IRRADIATED FUELREPROCESSING

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Thoria Fuel Reprocessing: Present Scenario

Fabrication

Thoria fuel for Research reactor

Thoria fuel bundles for PHWR

Thoria fuel assemblies for FBTR blanket

Irradiation

Research Reactor

PHWR initial flux flattening

FBTR blanket

Reprocessing Thoria Irradiated in Research Reactor and

PHWR.

Utilisation of U-233 KAMINI Reactor

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Flow-sheet for the reprocessing of AHWR

Concentration (g/L)

Th-stream Pu-stream U-stream

Th : 71.29 Pu : 0.8575 U : 4.42

U : 0.001 U : 0.01 Pu : 0.004

Pu : 0.0048 Th : 0.18 Th : 0.109

Laboratory Scale Mixer Settlers

FPs

Decontamination Factors

U Pu Th

137Cs 8.89 ×105 6.09 ×105 5.97 ×104

144Ce ~7.30 ×105 ~5.07 ×105 5.10 ×104

106Ru 1.22 ×106 8.36 ×105 9.11 ×104

90Sr 1.94 ×106 1.96 ×106 2.07 ×105

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Challenges Dissolution of Thoria Fuel with Corrosive chemicals

Criticality Problem

High activity due to High Burnup (~20 GWd/t +)

Third Phase Formation issues

233U-Pu Separation in U(VI)- Pu(IV)- Th(IV) System

Handling of 233U containing high burn up

11/27/2019 20नाभिकीय पुनश्चक्रण वर्गNuclear Recycle Group

HLW AS RESOURCE

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HLLW as source of Useful radionuclide

SLM Based 90Sr-90Y generator

106Ru plaque

2-Ethylhexyl 2-ethylhexyl phosphonic acid

Octylphenyl-N,N-diisobutyl CarbamoylMethyl Phosphine Oxide (CMPO)

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Operation : Process Flow-sheet for Recovery of Useful radionuclide from Historical Waste

HLLWTBP

U,Pu-TBP

To RP

U,Pu lean HLLW

Calix-Crown Cs-CC-6

U,Pu & Cs lean HLLW

An-Ln & Sr in TEHDGA

Cs- GlassPencils

TEHDGA

An/Ln & Sr

HLLWTreated as

LLW

Dil. HNO3

Dil. HNO3

Dil. HNO3

Partitioning of Actinides from PHWR-HLLW

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Actinide Separation Demonstration Facility (ASDF),Tarapur

Three step solvent extraction process-

Separation of residual Major Actinides (U,Pu) from HLLW using 30% TBP Bulk separation of An and Ln from U-lean HLLW using TEHDGA Separation of lanthanides from actinides using D2EPHA

• Effective removal of actinides from high level liquid waste substantiallyreduces radio-toxicity and also the requirement of long term storage

• Extends time for the repository requirements.

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• India has mastered Reprocessing Technology following PUREXProcess for PHWR spent fuel.

• Demonstration of FBTR reprocessing has also carried outsuccessfully using Modified PUREX process.

• TAP/TiAP are tested and will be used in future.• Thoria processing for PHWR irradiated fuel is demonstrated

successfully using THOREX process.• Waste is considered as resource for the recovery of useful

radionuclides.• 137Cs, 90Sr, 90Y and 106Ru are recovered and being used for

Societal applications.• Indigenously synthesised solvents are being adopted for

reprocessing as well as radionuclide partitioning from Waste. • Partitioning of actinides from HLLW is successfully demonstrated

at ASDF, Tarapur.

Summary and Conclusions

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• Nuclear Recycle Group- Fuel Reprocessing Division- Waste Management Division- Process Development Division- Technology Development Division

• Nuclear Recycle Board

• IGCAR, Kalpakkam

• Health, Safety and Environment Group-RSSD-HPD

• Regulatory Body

Acknowledgements

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