Attitudes towards plutonium management vary from country to country and from utility to utility: some regard plutonium as a liability and others as a valuable source of energy.
The purpose of this study is to review the physics issues associated with plutonium-recycling strategies. It specifically addresses the impacts of amounts, compositions and toxicities of plutonium, transuranic flows and inventories arising, depending on the various choices to manage the back end of the fuel cycle. Impacts on reactor performances are also explicitly addressed.
This study should contribute to a better understanding of the technical issues at stake concerning plutonium recycling and to improving the analysis of the relevant strategies.