Nuclear power plant types and the management of plutonium and minor actinides - in search of fuel cycle flexibility

Transuranics management concerns all NPP types, because of the specifications for a sustainable development. Multiple recycling is mandatory. Neutronic abundance can be obtained in fast spectrum, or by adding external neutrons or (temporarily) with additional U-235. The LWRs can control the plutonium inventory and significantly reduce the amount of transuranics transferred to the geological repository, thanks to the use of innovative nuclear fuel in a limited part of the NPP fleet. HTR adapted to transuranics burning can help. In the future, in addition to the liquid metal FBR, a strategy based on a gas cooled technological line and advanced fuel opens a second path towards fast spectra. Strategies for defining the optimal mix of reactor types in the nuclear fleet at a given time and demonstrating the fuel cycle flexibility are under study. (C) 2002 Academie des sciences/Editions scientifiques et medicales Elsevier SAS.