AGR, Magnox and Exotic Spent Fuels

This PhD-level project will develop a full life cycle assessment including all stages in the life cycle of decommissioning and waste management of both existing and future plants. The analysis would evaluate plant deconstruction, packaging and storage of the nuclear waste, depositories of low level and high level waste, waste reprocessing at Sellafield, and conditioning of the spent fuel. In parallel to LCA, a life cycle costing (LCC) could be performed. LCC enables to assess all costs associated with all materials and energy flows over the lifetime of a nuclear plant including construction, operating, maintenance, and disposal costs of the systems studied. LCC can be used as an input into the LCA or both tools can be used together in a wider evaluation process. The LCA analysis would be further used as a basis for the design of new plants, including novel separation technologies, for improved decommissioning and waste management characteristics.