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

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

    Highlights

    Meetings

    WPFC meeting: 5-6 October 2020 (likely to be remote)

    Recent Publications

    Workshop and Meetings

    • 16IEMPT, postponed to 27 June - 1 July 2021, Saint Petersburg, Russia

    Mandate: WPFC mandate

    Working area (password protected | reminder)

    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

    Meetings

    Working Party meetings

    • 17th meeting (6 February 2019, NEA HQ, Boulogne Billancourt, France)
    • 16th meeting (7 February 2018, NEA HQ, Boulogne Billancourt, France)
    • 15th meeting (8 February 2017, NEA HQ, Boulogne Billancourt, France)
    • 14th 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)

    Archive of previous workshops »

    Additional information

    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

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