Scientists from the Private Institution for Scientific Development of the Nuclear Industry "Nauka i Innovatsii" (CHU "NiI", part of Rosatom) have developed a fundamentally new technology for reprocessing spent nuclear fuel (SNF) – plasma separation. This was reported by the institute's press service.
The method involves separating fuel components using plasma and electromagnetic fields. Actinides (uranium and plutonium) are separated from radioactive decay products and then used for fuel refabrication and closing the nuclear fuel cycle.
Plasma separation significantly reduces the amount of radioactive waste, and also saves costs on equipment and rental of production facilities, said Valentin Smirnov, scientific director of the prospective technologies project office at CHU "NiI".
This method, due to the almost complete absence of an auxiliary recirculating medium and its "omnivorousness" towards the components of the reprocessed nuclear fuel, has significant potential.
Scientists conducted a series of experiments that confirmed the validity of their calculations. By 2027, they plan to create a facility to test the technological process of SNF plasma separation, Smirnov concluded.
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