NEA Mandates and Structures
Expert Group on Advanced Fuel Cycle Scenarios (EGAFCS)
| Chair(s): |
Brent DIXON, United States
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Secretary: |
Shahab DABIRAN-ZOHOORY
(shahab.dabiran-zohoory@oecd-nea.org)
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| Member(s): | All NEA member countries* |
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| Russia (Suspended*) |
| *Russian Federation suspended pursuant to a decision of the OECD Council. |
| Full participant(s): |
European Commission
Under the NEA Statute
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| Observer(s)(International Organisation): |
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
By agreement
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| Date of creation: | 01 June 2010 |
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| End of mandate: | 31 March 2024 |
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Mandate (Document reference):
- Approved at the 21st Meeting of the Nuclear Science Committee in June 2010 [NEA/SEN/NSC(2010)3]
- Extended at the 11th Meeting of the Working Party on Scientific Issues of the Fuel Cycle in February 2013 [NEA/SEN/NSC/WPFC(2013)2]
- Extended at the 12th Meeting of the Working Party on Scientific Issues of the Fuel Cycle in February 2014 [NEA/SEN/NSC/WPFC(2014)2/REV1]
- Revised at the 13th Meeting of the Working Party on Scientific Issues of the Fuel Cycle in February 2015 [NEA/SEN/NSC/WPFC(2015)2]
- Extended and revised at the 27th Meeting of the Nuclear Science Committee in June 2016 [NEA/SEN/NSC(2016)2]
- Modified at the 15th Meeting of the Working Party on Scientific Issues of the Fuel Cycle in February 2017 [NEA/SEN/NSC/WPFC(2017)2]
- Mandates of the Working Party on Scientific Issues of the Fuel Cycle (WPFC) and its Expert Groups [NEA/SEN/NSC/WPFC(2018)1]
- Summary record of the 17th meeting of the Working Party on Scientific Issues of the Fuel Cycle held on 6 February 2019 [NEA/SEN/NSC/WPFC(2019)1]
- Mandates of the Working Party on Scientific Issues of the Fuel Cycle (WPFC) and its Expert Groups [NEA/SEN/NSC/WPFC(2019)2]
- Summary record of the 18th meeting of Working Party on Scientific Issues of the Fuel Cycle held on 5-6 October 2020 [NEA/SEN/NSC/WPFC(2020)35]
- Revised Mandate of the Working Party on Scientific Issues of Advanced Fuel Cycles (WPFC) for approval under the written procedure [NEA/SEN/NSC/WPFC(2020)3]
- Mandate of the WPFC Expert Group on Advanced Fuel Cycle Scenarios (EGAFCS) [NEA/SEN/NSC/WPFC(2021)1]
Mandate (Document extract):
Extract from document [NEA/SEN/NSC/WPFC(2021)1]
Background
As a result of the prioritisation effort, a reorganisation of the Nuclear Science committee (NSC) activities was performed under the guidance of the NSC Bureau. This has resulted in the change of denomination of the Working Party to the Working Party on Scientific Issues of Advanced Fuel Cycles (WPFC) and scope of work.
Scope
Under the guidance of the Nuclear Science Committee (NSC) and the mandate of the Working Party on Scientific Issues of Advanced Fuel Cycles (WPFC), the Expert Group on Advanced Fuel Cycle Scenarios (EGAFCS) will study needs associated with the transition from current to future advanced nuclear fuel cycles.
Objectives
The objectives of this expert group are:
- To assemble, organise and understand the scientific issues of advanced fuel cycles, in particular to support emerging nuclear fuel cycle technologies; and
- To provide a framework for assessing specific national needs related to implementation of advanced fuel cycles.
These issues are critical to implementing a sustainable nuclear energy infrastructure and this expert group will:
- define the key scientific issues by collecting and comparing information available from experts in member countries, organise the information in a systematic way and provide a deep level of understanding of each of them;
- assemble technical information on the existing and future technologies, including transmutation and storage technologies;
- develop and assess generic scenarios that are representative of the different strategies envisaged in the member countries; and
- evaluate the potential of systems beyond the current thermal and fast technologies.
The expert group will work on:
- New fuel cycle simulator tools.
- Scenario studies using advanced light water reactors (high burn-up, high conversion ratio, inert matrix fuel, etc.) or advanced reactors (Generation IV, accelerator-driven systems, etc.).
- The investigation of the thorium (Th) fuel cycle and transition with legacy uranium (U) cycle waste elimination.
- Scenario studies for improving sustainability: multi-recycling scenarios, impact on starting reactors on used fuel and evaluation of low enriched uranium (LEU), waste reduction, etc.
- A benchmark on dose rate calculations for irradiated uranium oxide (UOx) and mixed oxide (MOx) spent fuel assemblies and others – within the task force created at this purpose.
Interactions
The expert group will liaise closely with other study groups (e.g. European Commission, International Atomic Energy Agency, etc.) and other activities being carried out under NEA auspices, for example by the Nuclear Science Committee (NSC), the Radioactive Waste Management Committee (RWMC), and the Committee for Technical and Economic Studies on Nuclear Energy Development and the Fuel Cycle (NDC), in particular providing expertise, when necessary, on issues related to the integration of nuclear power in an energy mix.
Deliverables
The deliverables of the EGAFCS will be the following:
- Report on study of the management of transuranic elements.
- Benchmark on dose rate calculations for irradiated UOx and MOx spent fuel assemblies.
- Report on feasibility of closing the fuel cycle using water-cooled reactors.
- Online catalogue of scenario codes.
