Molten salt electrorefining (ER) has been considered as a promising technology for used nuclear fuel reprocessing.  For this technology to succeed, the path forward for safe disposition of the resulting salt waste must be developed. A new concept of direct disposal of ER salt waste in a salt repository with zero or minimal treatment is proposed here, based on the consideration that brines in a salt repository are already saturated with salt minerals and ER salt as a waste form will be thermodynamically stable in such environments.  The proposed concept would practically eliminate all process steps currently proposed for ER salt waste treatment and waste form development, thereby minimizing waste volume for final disposition. Specifically, the proposed concept would facilitate the integration of fast reactor technology, the ER process, and a salt repository into a coherent and efficient fuel cycle.

Closing the nuclear fuel cycle with salt

243rd National Meeting (2012)

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