Working Party on Scientific Issues of the Fuel Cycle (WPFC)

Background and objectives

Under the guidance of the Nuclear Science Committee, the Working Party will deal with scientific issues in various existing and advanced nuclear fuel cycles, including fuel cycle scenarios, physics, separation chemistry and flowsheets, waste forms, fuels and materials, and spallation target.

Objectives

To provide the Member Countries with up-to-date information on and develop consensus regarding:

• Fuel cycle scenarios;
  • Assessment of advanced fuel cycles scenarios, including resource utilisation and waste management.
  • Fuel cycle tools and databases.
• Chemical partitioning;
  • Keep updated information on separation technologies, including advanced aqueous and pyrochemical processing issues for different fuel cycle scenarios;
  • Evaluation of advanced processing concepts, including design bases for future reprocessing plants.
• Fuels and materials;
  • Keep updated information on fuels and materials for implementing advanced nuclear fuel cycles.
  • Update the handbook on heavy liquid metal (HLM) technology as new information becomes available.
  • Evaluation of innovative fuels and materials technologies, including fabrication processes and performances
• Technology and components of accelerator driven systems;
  • Accelerator and neutron source.
  • Sub-critical system design and relationship to the nuclear fuel cycles.

To liaise closely with other relevant NSC Working Parties and NEA Standing Technical Committees, especially the Nuclear Development Committee (NDC) and the Radioactive Waste Management Committee (RWMC), to ensure the respective work programmes are complementary and to provide advice and support where required and undertake common work where appropriate. Particularly close working relationships will be maintained with the Working Party on scientific issues of Reactor Systems (WPRS) and Working Party on Multi-scale Modelling of Fuels and Structural Materials for Nuclear Systems (WPMM) as well as Generation IV International Forum.

To provide advice to the nuclear community on the developments needed to meet the requirements for implementing advanced long-term sustainable nuclear fuel cycles, including partitioning and transmutation.

Structure

• Expert Group on Advanced Fuel Cycle Scenarios (EGAFCS)
• Expert Group on Fuel Recycling Chemistry (EGFRC)
• Expert Group on Innovative Fuels (EGIF)
  
• Expert Group on Innovative Structural Materials (EGISM)
• Expert Group on Liquid Metal Technology (EGLM)
• Expert Group on Heavy Liquid Metal Technologies (EGHLM) (closed in 2015)
  • Task Force on Benchmarking of Thermal-Hydraulic Loop Models for Lead-Alloy Cooled Advanced Nuclear Energy Systems (LACANES) (closed in 2017)
• Task Force on Comparative Study on Homogeneous vs. Heterogeneous Recycle of TRU in Fast Reactors (closed in 2011)
• Task Force on Potential Benefits and Impacts of Advanced Fuel Cycles with Partitioning and Transmutation (closed in 2011)

Meetings

Working Party meetings

• 17th meeting (6 February 2019, NEA HQ, Boulogne Billancourt, France)
• 16th meeting (7 February 2018, NEA HQ, Boulogne Billancourt, France)
• 15^th meeting (8 February 2017, NEA HQ, Boulogne Billancourt, France)
• 14^th meeting (3 February 2016, NEA offices, Issy-les-Moulineaux, France)

Meeting documents are in the working area (password protected | reminder).

Archive of previous meetings »

Workshops

NEA Information Exchange Meetings on Actinide and Fission Product Partitioning and Transmutation (IEM P&T) (in co-operation with the Nuclear Development Committee)

• 16^th Information Exchange Meeting (31 August-3 September 2020, Saint Petersburg, Russia)

Archive of previous workshops »

Publications

• 2019
  • Overview of users facilities for basic research in the field of materials under irradiation
  • Review of Operating and Forthcoming Experimental Facilities Opened to International R&D Co-operation in the Field of Advanced Fuel Cycles
• 2018
  • State-of-the-Art Report on the Progress in Nuclear Fuel Cycle Chemistry
  • Benchmarking of Thermal-Hydraulic Loop Models for Lead Allot-Cooled Advanced Nuclear Energy Systems (Phase 2) 
• 2017
  • The Effects of the Uncertainty of Input Parameters on Nuclear Fuel Cycle Scenario Studies
  • Actinide and Fission Product Partitioning and Transmutation (Proceedings of 14IEMPT)
• 2015
  • Handbook on Lead-bismuth Eutectic Alloy and Lead Properties, Materials Compatibility, Thermal-hydraulics and Technologies - 2015 Edition
  • Introduction of Thorium in the Nuclear Fuel Cycle
  • Actinide and Fission Product Partitioning and Transmutation (Proceedings of 13IEMPT)
  • Structural Materials for Innovative Nuclear Systems (SMINS-3)- Workshop Proceedings

Archive of previous publications »

Additional information

• Meetings and conferences organised/sponsored by the Nuclear Science Committee and the Data Bank
• Partitioning and Transmutation of Minor Actinides and Fission Products

Members' working area (password protected | reminder)

For more information on this working party, please contact  (Tel.: +33 1 73 21 28 93)

Last reviewed: 07 August 2019