Under the guidance of the Nuclear Science Committee (NSC), the Working Party on Scientific Issues of Advanced Fuel Cycles (WPFC) studies advanced nuclear fuel cycles, including fuel cycle scenarios, innovative fuels and materials, separation chemistry, waste disposal and coolant technologies
Created in 2004, the WPFC was restructured in 2020 with a revised scope that puts additional emphasis on the back-end of nuclear fuel cycles and on advanced fuel cycles of innovative systems.
The WPFC's objective is to provide the member countries with up-to-date information, preserve knowledge on, and develop consensus in the following areas.
Fuel cycle scenarios
Recycling and waste technologies
Fuels and materials
Reactor coolant and components technologies
Advanced fuel cycles, partitioning and transmutation (P&T) and accelerator-driven systems
The WPFC also aims at:
The WPFC liaises closely with other NEA working groups, especially with the Committee for Technical and Economic Studies on Nuclear Energy Development and the Fuel Cycle (NDC), the Working Party on Nuclear Energy Economics (WPNE) and with the Radioactive Waste Management Committee (RWMC) to ensure the respective programmes of work are complementary and to provide advice and support where required, undertaking jointly work where appropriate. Particularly close working relationships are maintained with the Working Party on Scientific Issues and Uncertainty Analysis of Reactor Systems (WPRS) and the Working Party on Multi-scale Modelling of Fuels and Structural Materials for Nuclear Systems (WPMM) as well as with the Generation IV International Forum (GIF). The WPFC also works in co-operation with other international organisations (European Commission, International Atomic Energy Agency).
Working Party meeting information from 2004 to date can be found in the WPFC members' area below.
WPFC members' area (password protected | reminder).