Nuclear Waste Series - 3: Reprocessing and Recycling Spent Fuel

In this video I discuss options for chemically reprocessing our spent nuclear fuel to separate radioactive fission products from useful, fissionable isotopes. I explore options for recycling these fissionable isotopes using fast breeder reactors; medical and industrial uses for fission product radioisotopes; and just how long we need to store the remaining radioisotopes in a geological repository (which is not very long at all!).

And Happy #NuclearSciWeek to everyone!

[trevorsullivan]

This video needs more views and the practical research needs more funding

[rhythmdoshi]

love this video man, your content is fire, Id love to see a video breaking down the economics of building a reprocessing facility that reprocesses spent nuclear fuel (SNF)

[LaCroiky]

I really enjoyed this video, Chris! 😊

[clandestinefreedom]

This is so great. I'm a mechanical engineering student with a desire to work in the nuclear energy industry. Nuclear power has such a big future, especially with the future implementation of fusion, and like you mentioned, reprocessing. I had no idea that only 5% of the fissionable isotopes are considered spent, and the rest is able to be utilized again. These videos are really awesome, and I take notes as well.

[EdPheil]

Once you remove all the actinides and put them back in a reactor the remaining fission products CK away to less than uranium war in under 300 years and therefore don't even require a deep geologic repository let alone 5% fuel. This can be surface stored as it is currently being held and then wants us decay do near surface burial like we do for uranium or tailings.

[roprglw]

It would be good if we could make more Pu238 for the Radioactive Thermionic Generators I guess from neptunium. This generates the heat for spacecraft like the Voyagers, but also might be able to be used for small generators here on Earth. I enjoyed you video, thank you.

[Luke-ufin]

"It even has its own sauna, which is probably a great place for storing caesium and Stro-" ahahaha

[KevinGarcia-sgoz]

Wait I didn’t get to see the juicy stuff. Lol 😂