Synroc Technology Options for GEN IV Nuclear Reactor Wastes

High feasibility solutions for the safe and responsible management of nuclear wastes generated from the deployment of new nuclear technologies are essential. With regards to public acceptance of new nuclear builds, concerns over the nuclear waste, particularly the intermediate (ILW) and high (HLW) level waste from spent fuel, fall second only to safety. In addition, nuclear regulators now require whole of life strategies which provide an ultimate nuclear waste disposition pathway as part of the approvals process for new nuclear facilities that produce ILW or HLW waste.<br/><br/>The advanced Gen IV reactors currently being commercially developed do not use standard LWR oxide fuel so the currently considered spent fuel storage and disposition options are unsuitable and bespoke waste treatment and disposal solutions are required. Synroc technology is uniquely suited to the treatment of many of these wastes as it employs hot-isostatic processing (HIPing) as a consolidation approach and allows the production of a range of wasteforms (ceramic, glass, and glass-ceramic forms) which can be tailored to the chemical, physical, and radiological properties of the target waste stream allowing the phases that make up the wasteform to be tailored to appropriately immobilise the different radioactive species.<br/><br/>This presentation will provide an update of the technical maturity of Synroc Technology for the treatment of nuclear wastes. It will also discuss concepts for candidate wasteforms and processing options for the immobilisation of wastes from advanced reactors, including iodine wastes, graphite-based wastes, advanced fuel wastes, and chloride- and fluoride-molten salt wastes.