US-based nuclear waste storage and disposal company Deep Isolation has completed a study for SHINE Technologies, which is developing solutions to recycle used nuclear fuel by designing facilities to reduce the volume of waste requiring deep geologic disposal.
The study was an initial scoping assessment of the costs of disposing of the byproducts of a pilot used fuel recycling facility that would extract and enable reuse of valuable components while separating fission products that require geologic disposal. The purpose of the study was to assess the cost, feasibility, and fundamental characteristics of deep borehole disposal repositories for these long-lived waste forms using Deep Isolation’s advanced, flexible, and patented designs.
The collaborative work suggests that the recycling facility would reduce the total volume of waste going to a deep geologic repository by more than 90% compared with directly disposing of used fuel assemblies, allowing room for additional optimisation on the design and cost of the facility.
“This study is an important step toward understanding the tremendous potential for optimisation in nuclear waste disposal volume and cost reductions,” said of SHINE Technologies Chief Technology Officer Ross Radel. He added that it also helps demonstrate important social and economic benefits from the deployment of the company’s recycling technologies. “It’s validation that our planned approach to nuclear waste recycling is foundational to our mission of creating a safer, healthier and cleaner world.”
Dr Ethan Bates, Director of Systems Engineering for Deep Isolation and lead on the study, said the results highlight “the design flexibility and advantages of deep borehole disposal in terms of modularity and potential to accept a wide range of radioactive wastes.”
According to Deep Isolation CEO Elizabeth Muller, the collaboration between Deep Isolation and SHINE Technologies shows “the massive potential for driving cost out of the nuclear fuel cycle through innovation”. She added: “SHINE’s pilot recycling facility will unlock new power generation out of spent nuclear fuel from traditional nuclear power plants, significantly reducing the volume of high-level waste that requires geologic disposal. And Deep Isolation’s borehole technology reduces the cost of that disposal itself.”
SHINE Technologies describes itself as a fusion company. It has detailed a four-phased approach “to produce meaningful outcomes at each stage as we work toward fusion energy”. These phases are: inspection (using neutron generation to take images and test durability of high-performing components, ensuring their integrity); production (of medical isotopes); nuclear waste recycling (making fission power a more environmentally and socially friendly option); and generation (producing economically viable power with fusion).
SHINE says: “As today’s fusion company, we're deploying and scaling fusion technology now that we hope will one day lead to powering the world. Each step of the way, we're mastering more immediate applications of fusion – like inspecting industrial components through neutron imaging and producing cancer-fighting medicine. These applications create tremendous social and economic value and are the building blocks for our future goals: recycling nuclear waste and generating on-demand, carbon-free energy through fusion.”
