Search for Ways to Reduce Material Flows under Americium and Curium Handling in Fuel Cycles of BN-1200 Type Reactor

5/18/2026 2026 - #02 Fuel Cycle and Nuclear Waste Management

Burevskiy I.V. Gulevich A.V. Gurskaya O.S. Dekusar V.M. Eliseev V.A. Zabrodskaya S.V. Zakirov N.A. Isanov K.A. Korobeynikov V.V. Kuzina Yu.A. Levanova M.V. Moseev A.L. Troyanov V.M.

https://doi.org/10.26583/npe.2026.2.09

The involvement of plutonium in the nuclear fuel cycle (NFC) and the high-level radioactive wastes management (HLW) (in particular, minor actinides (MA)) is the main problem that the future two-component nuclear energy system with fast and thermal reactors is associated with. The paper analyzes the possibilities of MA volumes reduction and handling with it. (Americium and curium are under consideration in the paper) in the sodium-cooled fast reactor fuel cycle. There are three options for americium and curium handling in a closed fuel cycle based on plutonium. Homogeneous utilization of americium in the reactor core with an excess of its equilibrium content. Joint utilization of “inherent” (equilibrium) americium in the core (under homogeneous burn-out) and from other sources in the irradiating devices of the blanket with a moderator (heterogeneous burn-out). The concept of “clean” fuel – “dirty” wastes, in which the entire disposal (including its own) Americium is carried out by irradiation in a blanket. The paper analyzes the material flows of MA for each NFC option over 60 years of a BN-1200 fast reactor lifetime, estimates the annual production and reprocessing volumes of fuel and irradiating devices with MA (taking into account the radiation characteristics of fresh and irradiated fuel), and concludes that the fuel cycle option with “clean” fuel is preferable, minimizing circulation of MA.

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fast reactor minor actinides recycling americium curium homogeneous/heterogeneous disposal irradiation device moderator closed nuclear fuel cycle

Link for citing the article: Burevskiy I.V., Gulevich A.V., Gurskaya O.S., Dekusar V.M., Eliseev V.A., Zabrodskaya S.V., Zakirov N.A., Isanov K.A., Korobeynikov V.V., Kuzina Yu.A., Levanova M.V., Moseev A.L., Troyanov V.M. Search for Ways to Reduce Material Flows under Americium and Curium Handling in Fuel Cycles of BN-1200 Type Reactor. Izvestiya vuzov. Yadernaya Energetika. 2026, no. 2, pp. 135-153; DOI: https://doi.org/10.26583/npe.2026.2.09 (in Russian).