Field Report: Discover pragmatic examples of customer benefits
12th shipment of vitrified nuclear waste from France to Germany (in french)
24 hours in La Hague
Fuel, the heart of nuclear fission
AREVA, European leader in nuclear fuel
"Nuclear: energy for today and tomorrow" ad-information
Compacting structural and technological waste processing active liquid effluents
EPR™: discover the advanced reactor
"Voyage au cœur de l'énergie" educational booklet [FR]
"The keys to nuclear energy" ad-information
Fabrication of recycled fuel
AREVA has developed solutions enabling the recovery of 96% of materials stemming from used fuel. Recycling activity consists of using uranium and plutonium taken from this used fuel, for the fabrication of new fuels, such as "MOX" - a mixture of uranium oxide and plutonium.
A high-tech procedure for the fabrication of MOX fuel
MOX fuel (Mixed Oxide fuel) is a mixture of approximately 93% depleted uranium powder and 7% plutonium oxide powder.
The fabrication of MOX fuel is similar to that of uranium oxide fuels. It is performed in 5 phases:
- Mixing the powders: creating a primary mix, using plutonium oxide, depleted uranium oxide and grog (also known as "chamotte") powders obtained from discarded pellets. Depleted uranium is added to this primary mix to obtain the exact concentration required by customers (between 3% and 12%). This final mixture is called the secondary mix.
- Sintering: the resulting mixture is compacted in the form of pellets. These are fired in an oven at a high temperature for conversion into ceramic.
- Grinding: the pellets are ground between 2 wheels to obtain the required diameter, to the nearest micron. Pellets which do not meet the required specifications are sent front end for recycling into grog (chamotte).
- Graining: the pellets are then inserted into zirconium alloy tubes known as "rods". Each rod is around 4 meters long and is made up of approximately 320 pellets, depending on customer requirements. The rods are then carefully cleaned, and subsequently checked.
- Assembly: this final stage consists of inserting the rods into a metal structure to form an "assembly". This assembly is the finished product for customer delivery. These assemblies are also subject to manufacturing checks, in order to verify their future behavior in the reactor.
Almost 130 quality parameters are checked throughout the manufacturing process.
MELOX, a leading position
Reception of plutonium in the Melox MOX fuel fabrication plant Bagnols-sur-Cèze, France
AREVA is the world leader in the manufacture of MOX fuel with almost 1,570 tons of heavy metal (tML) and more than 3,000 assemblies produced since the AREVA MELOX plant was put online in 1995. In 2010, 128 tons of MOX were product at the MELOX plant, representing a market share of around 95% for AREVA.
MELOX: increased production capacity
The production of MOX assemblies is handled by the MELOX plant at the Marcoule site (France - Gard region). The world leader on the MOX market, the AREVA MELOX plant has grown its capacity since 2003 in order to meet increased demand. Annual licensing therefore moved from 145 tons of heavy metal to 195 tons in 2006.
Since the AREVA Cadarache plant ceased production in July 2003, AREVA has brought together MOX production in its MELOX plant.
Cadarache: scheduled dismantling
Tunnel handling and storage - Melox
The AREVA Cadarache plant (France - Bouches-du-Rhône region) ceased its commercial business at the end of July 2003. It is now responsible for scrap conditioning for rod manufacturing, as well as applied Research and Development work. Dismantling commenced in 2008, and is scheduled to continue until 2012.
The use of MOX fuels throughout the world
The reactor behavior of MOX fuel, obtained through plutonium recycling, can generally be compared to that of enriched uranium fuel.
A solution used for over 35 years
MOX fuel has been used in Germany since 1972, in Switzerland since 1984, in France since 1987, and in Belgium since 1995.
- In France, twenty one reactors have been technically adapted to cope with this type of fuel. These reactors produce around 7% of the national electricity production. EDF licensing requests for using other reactors are pending.
- Japan plans to use MOX fuel in 16 to 20 reactors by 2010. A MOX fabrication plant with a capacity of around 130 tons/year is in the planning stages for the Rokkasho-Mura site. Operated by JNFL, it will benefit from an AREVA technology transfer.
- In the United States, in partnership with the Shaw Group and on behalf of the US Department of Energy (DOE), AREVA is pursuing the construction of an MFFF plant (Mixed Fuel Fabrication Facility) to manufacture MOX using plutonium of military origin. This project is a direct result of agreements entered into by the United States and Russia for plutonium recycling, from the dismantling of excess nuclear arms, in the form of fuel for civil usage.
- China has entered recycling into its used fuel management policy. AREVA has carried out exploratory studies into the recycling of used fuel.
MOX fuel, the product of recycling
AREVA has developed solutions for recycling 96% of spent nuclear fuel. MOX (Mixed-OXide fuel), a mixture of depleted uranium and plutonium oxide powders, is currently manufactured at the MELOX plant in Bagnols-sur-Ceze (France).
EUROFAB
The United States and Russia have decided to recycle their military plutonium declared in excess in civilian nuclear reactors.
The technology and expertise of AREVA, on the recycling of plutonium and MOX fuel fabrication were selected by these 2 countries.
In late 2004, AREVA has approved 140 kg of plutonium for the U.S. miliary manufacturing MOX fuel rods. Once implemented by AREVA MOX assemblies 4 are returned to the United States in 2005. After several tests, the MOX fuel are now placed in the Catawba PWR nuclear reactor operated by Duke Power since June 2005.
Given the success of this operation, the U.S. government decided April 11, 2007 the construction of a MOX fabrication plant which AREVA is a partner in the consortium AREVA-DUKE-Stone & Webster. The future plant MFFF (MOX Fuel Fabrication Facility) will be located in South Carolina on the Savannah River site.
