16th Information Exchange Meeting on Actinide and Fission Product Partitioning and Transmutation (16IEMPT)

Introduction

The NEA organised the 16^th Information Exchange Meeting on Actinide and Fission Product Partitioning and Transmutation (16IEMPT) on 24-27 October 2023. The meeting was held at the NEA offices in Boulogne-Billancourt, France, in collaboration with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

The event was supported by the EU-funded PATRICIA project, the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA), MYRRHA and the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA).

The event focused on Partitioning and Transmutation (P&T), which is one of the candidate technologies to help reduce the heat, radiotoxicity and volume of radioactive waste. Recent developments indicate the need for embedding P&T strategies into advanced fuel cycles considering waste management and economic issues.

To give experts a forum to present and discuss state-of-the-art developments in the field of advanced nuclear fuel cycles and P&T, the NEA has been organising biennial information exchange meetings on actinide and fission product partitioning and transmutation since 1990.

Decisions have been made to hold these information exchange meetings on a triennial basis going forward, with the next IEMPT planned for 2026.

Scope

The 16^th IEMPT focused on advancing the development of P&T technologies to improve nuclear waste management. The meeting served as a forum to discuss recent progress in P&T and its integration into advanced nuclear fuel cycles, aiming to:

share state-of-the-art research and development on P&T processes and technologies;
strengthen international collaboration by connecting experts, researchers, and stakeholders to address challenges and opportunities in fuel cycle strategies;
provide insight into the technical developments necessary to support the transition to sustainable, advanced nuclear fuel cycles.

The meeting featured seven technical sessions:

Session 1: International organisations and national programmes
- Featuring presentations from the NEA, the IAEA, the European Commission, and several countries.
Session 2: Fuel cycle strategies and scenarios
- Exploring various strategic approaches to closing the nuclear fuel cycle and integrating P&T.
Session 3: Advanced nuclear fuel recycling
- Highlighting the most recent advancements in recycling technologies, such as various aqueous and pyrochemical solvent extraction techniques.
Session 4: Waste management and innovative utilisations of actinides and fission products
- Addressing innovative waste management strategies and novel uses for separated isotopes, including applications in medical and space power systems.
Session 5: Advanced fuels for plutonium management and minor actinide transmutation
- Focusing on the development of advanced fuel forms for plutonium multirecycling and minor actinide transmutation including need for experimental validation programmes.
Session 6: Advanced systems for R&D infrastructure for advanced fuel cycles and P&T
- Covering developments in reactor systems, materials testing, and research infrastructures for supporting industrial application of P&T.
Session 7: Modelling and data
- Focusing on modelling and simulation advancements, including improvements to nuclear data, fuel properties and fuel performance codes, and uncertainty evaluation and propagation methods.

In addition to the seven technical sessions, two special panel discussions provided insights from leaders in the field:

Special Panel Session I: “30^th Anniversary + 3”
- Panellists reflected on how the IEMPT meetings have shaped global P&T efforts over the past 30 years while sharing personal highlights from past meetings.
Special Panel Session II: “Towards the Future”
- Panellists explored the future of nuclear energy, discussing the role of R&D in closing the nuclear fuel cycle, the sustainability of nuclear energy, and the major challenges facing the industry. They also highlighted strategies to maintain interest in P&T research and transition from lab-scale demonstration to industrialisation of advanced fuel cycle technologies by 2050.

Scientific and organising committee

Nathalie CHAUVIN (CEA, France)

Sung Yeol CHOI (Seoul National University, Korea)

Christian EKBERG (Chalmers University, Sweden)

Amparo GONZÁLEZ-ESPARTERO (IAEA)

Gabriele GRASSI (NEA)

Clément HILL (IAEA)

Taek K. KIM (ANL, USA)

Ken MARDSEN (INL, USA)

Andrea SALVATORES (CEA, France)

Pavel SOUČEK (JRC, EU)

Robin TAYLOR (NNL, UK)

Kazufumi TSUJIMOTO (JAEA, Japan)

Jan UHLÍŘ (ÚJV Řež, Czech Republic)

Gert VAN DEN EYNDE (SCK CEN, Belgium)

Extended abstracts

The submitted extended abstracts are available for download.