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AGA: Arbeitsgruppe Physik und Abrüstung

AGA 6: Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Proliferation

AGA 6.1: Invited Talk

Thursday, March 21, 2024, 16:00–17:00, PTB HS HvHB

Proliferation Issues of Future Nuclear Fuel Cycles — •Friederike Frieß — Institute of Safety and Risk Sciences, BOKU, Vienna

The current reactor fleet consists almost exclusively of light water reactors. There are some countries that are actively researching other reactor concepts, in particular fast, sodium-cooled reactors. In addition to better fuel utilization, their use should also simplify the disposal of radioactive waste. In order to achieve this, reprocessing of spent fuel rods must be carried out on an industrial scale. This involves the separation of weapons-grade fissile material.

The presentation provides an overview of the activities of various countries on so-called closed fuel cycles and related reactor technology. It focuses on the proliferation risk posed by those technologies and explains why they would thus increase the risk of unauthorized diversion of nuclear material, technology and knowledge.

Keywords: Fuel Cycle; Proliferation; Fissile Material; Reactor; Nuclear Waste Disposal