| Chair(s): |
Nathalie CHAUVIN, France |
Secretary: |
Gabriele GRASSI (gabriele.grassi@oecd-nea.org) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Member(s): | All NEA member countries* | ||
| Russia (Suspended*) | |||
| *Russian Federation suspended pursuant to a decision of the OECD Council. | |||
| Full participant(s): |
European Commission Under the NEA Statute | ||
| Observer(s)(International Organisation): |
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) By agreement | ||
| Date of creation: | 01 June 2004 | ||
| End of mandate: | 31 March 2024 |
Mandate (Document reference):
Mandate (Document extract):
Extract from document [NEA/SEN/NSC/WPFC(2020)3]
Background
As a result of the prioritisation effort, a reform of NSC activities was performed under the guidance of the NSC Bureau. Among other actions, this has resulted in the reorganisation of the Working Party on Scientific Issues of the Fuel Cycle (WPFC) and its related expert groups. The WPFC will now be named Working Party on Scientific Issues of Advanced Fuel Cycles (WPFC) and will mostly focus its activities on advanced fuel cycles and innovative systems.
Scope
Under the guidance of the Nuclear Science Committee, the WPFC will deal with scientific issues in various existing and advanced nuclear fuel cycles. The work will mainly focus on advanced and innovative technologies, open and closed fuel cycles to comply with advanced systems criteria. The WPFC will cover all types of Generation IV reactors and innovative concepts including (but not limited to) innovative fuel cycles (e.g., closed with hydro-/pyro- reprocessing, plutonium (Pu) burning/multirecycling, minor actinide transmutation, etc.).
Objectives
To provide the member countries with up-to-date information, preserve knowledge on, and develop consensus regarding:
Fuel cycle scenarios:
Assessment of advanced fuel cycles scenarios, including resource utilisation, waste management and transition phases.
Fuel cycle tools, databases, and evaluation of associated uncertainties.
Recycling and waste technologies:
Keep updated information, assess and preserve data on separation technologies, including advanced aqueous and pyrochemical processing issues for different fuel cycle scenarios.
Improvement of waste management in advanced fuel cycles: reduction, recycle and reuse.
Fuels and fuel elements:
Keep updated information and preserve data on fuel and fuel element (fuel and cladding) development for implementing in advanced systems and associated fuel cycles.
Evaluation of innovative fuels and fuel elements (fuel and cladding), including fabrication processes, characterisation, behaviour, property measurement, performance and qualification.
Reactor coolant and components technologies:
Keep updated information and preserve data on coolant technologies and interactions between the coolants and components/materials.
Assessment of the environmental effects relevant for construction standards based on a fundamental understanding of materials behaviour.
Answer key technical issues to address radiological impact, operation, handling, maintenance and inspection as relevant for licensing.
Advanced fuel cycles, partitioning and transmutation (P&T) and accelerator-driven systems:
Discuss and exchange on recent developments in the field of:
advanced fuel cycles including P&T and Pu management;
accelerator and neutron source; subcritical system design and relationship to nuclear fuel cycles.
Working methods
The WPFC will report to the Nuclear Science Committee. The WPFC will meet once per year, with additional meetings in support of particular activities such as expert groups and potential task forces reporting to the WPFC.
Interactions
The WPFC will liaise closely with other relevant NSC working parties and NEA standing technical committees and its subsidiary bodies, especially with the Committee for Technical and Economic Studies on Nuclear Energy Development and the Fuel Cycle (NDC), the Working Party on Nuclear Energy Economics (WPNE) and with the Radioactive Waste Management Committee (RWMC) to ensure the respective programmes of work are complementary and to provide advice and support where required, undertaking jointly work where appropriate. Particularly close working relationships will be maintained with the Working Party on Scientific Issues and Uncertainty Analysis of Reactor Systems (WPRS) and the Working Party on Multi-scale Modelling of Fuels and Structural Materials for Nuclear Systems (WPMM)1 as well as with the Generation IV International Forum (GIF). The WPFC will also work in co-operation with other international organisations (European Commission, International Atomic Energy Agency). The WPFC will also work with the Scientific Advisory Committee of the Information Exchange Meeting on Actinide and Fission Product Partitioning and Transmutation (IEMPT).
Deliverables
The WPFC will organise IEMPTs on a regular basis and will work with its expert groups to produce the deliverables contained in the expert group mandates listed below:
1 The name and scope of this working party will be modified in 2021.
