NSC Task Force on Demonstration of Fuel Cycle Closure including Partitioning and Transmutation (P&T) for Industrial Readiness by 2050 (TF-FCPT)
Ongoing

Scope

Under the guidance of the Nuclear Science Committee (NSC), the Task Force on Demonstration of Fuel Cycle Closure including Partitioning and Transmutation (P&T) for Industrial Readiness by 2050 (TF-FCPT) covers different existing and emerging technologies for advanced and innovative transuranic (TRU) management strategies – e.g. plutonium multi-recycling and minor actinide transmutation – in the following areas:

  • Advanced separation technologies for used fuels from Gen II-III light-water reactors;
  • Advanced fuel fabrication and performance;
  • Transmutation systems (liquid metal fast reactors, accelerator-driven systems, molten salt reactors);
  • Reprocessing of advanced fuel;
  • Advanced fuel technological aspects (including transportation, cooling and handling).

Objectives

The main goal of the Task Force FCPT is to produce a report which will provide a comprehensive reference on technological, economic and societal aspects of fuel cycle closure including P&T.

The main objectives include:

  • To stress the need and the urgency to increase the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) in advanced fuel cycles and P&T technologies to move from research and development (R&D) to pre-industrial scale demonstration;
  • To identify R&D and infrastructure needs and gaps and provide recommendations on priority actions to be implemented;
  • To provide policymakers with information for future decisions to enable the industrialisation of fuel cycle closure from 2050 onwards;
  • To provide the drivers for joint projects on the experimental demonstration of the fuel cycle closure.

In addition to the report, the Task Force intends to establish a library of published documents addressing the benefits of P&T, the technical challenges and developments in the field. 

Interactions

The Task Force liaises closely with the NSC Working Party on Scientific Issues of Advanced Fuel Cycles (WPFC), the Committee for Technical and Economic Studies on Nuclear Energy Development and the Fuel Cycle (NDC) and the Generation-IV International Forum (GIF).

Meetings

  • 19th meeting (4 April 2024, NEA) - planned
  • 18th meeting (18 December 2023, remote) 
  • 17th meeting (8 September 2023, remote)
  • 16th meeting (10 July 2023, remote)
  • 15th meeting (12 April and 26 May 2023, remote)
  • 14th meeting (13-14 February 2023, NEA - hybrid)
  • 13th meeting 13-14 December 2022, remote)
  • 12th meeting (28-29 September 2022, NEA - hybrid)
  • 11th meeting (12 July 2022, remote)
  • 10th meeting (17 May 2022, remote)
  • 9th meeting (28 January 2022, remote)
  • 8th meeting (13 December 2021, remote)
  • 7th meeting (4 November 2021, remote)
  • 6th meeting (7 October 2021, remote)
  • 5th meeting (2 September 2021, remote)
  • 4th meeting (16 July 2021, remote)
  • 3rd meeting (7 June 2021, remote)
  • 2nd meeting (7 April 2021, remote)
  • Kick-off meeting (18 January 2021, remote)

Members' working area

The Task Force FCPT protected area is hosted on MyNEA SharePoint

Please follow these steps to connect to SharePoint:

  • Enter your email address and your NEA password (password reminder).
  • Select ‘MyNEA Access Authentication Agent 3.1’.
  • You will receive an email with an additional access code. Enter the access code to log in to the page.

The MyNEA End User Guide is available online here: User's guide: myNEA

Contact

Dr Gabriele Grassi