Concept and safety studies of an integrated pyroprocess facility

The Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) has been developing pyroprocess facilities for the dry processing research of spent fuel for over 10 years since 1997. A hot cell facility, named the Advanced spent fuel Conditioning Process Facility (ACPF), for the demonstration of a head-end part of pyroprocess was developed in November 2005. An inactive demonstration facility for the integrated pyroprocess, named the PyRoprocess Integrated inactive Demonstration (PRIDE) facility, has been developing since 2007. This facility is equipped with several types of pyroprocess equipment, such as a decladding/voloxidation device, a powder mixing device, electro-reduction equipment, electro-refining equipment, electro-winning equipment, Cd distillation equipment, waste salt regeneration & solidification equipment, and a salt distillation equipment. Safety evaluation and safety related systems are also required to inhibit the release of radioactivity into the environment. Accident evaluations and argon flow characteristics are studied for ensuring the expected safety issues. These conceptual and safety studies will be also used to obtain the basic requirements for design of the Engineering Scale Pyroprocess Facility (ESPF) which is the demonstration facility for feasibility of pyroprocess commercialization.

Research highlights▶ KAERI has conceptually designed an engineering scale pyroprocess facility. ▶ Safety analyses show the facility is safe under a fire accident condition. ▶ CFD analyses also show the industrial safety and design optimization of the argon system.