An evaluation of waste radiotoxicity reduction for a fast burner reactor closed fuel cycle: NEA benchmark results

As part of a program proposed by the OECD/NEA Working Party on Physics of Plutonium Recycling (WPPR) to evaluate different scenarios for the use of plutonium, fast reactor physics benchmarks were developed. In this paper, the fuel cycle performance of the metal-fueled benchmark is evaluated in detail. Benchmark results assess the reactor performance and toxicity behavior in a closed nuclear fuel cycle for a parametric variation of the conversion ratio between 0.5 and 1.0. Results indicate that a fast burner reactor closed fuel cycle can be utilized to significantly reduce the radiotoxicity destined for ultimate disposal.