133 Current Status of Czech R & D Programme in Partitioning and Transmutation

The transmutation of spent nuclear fuel is considered as a prospective alternative concept to the current concept based on the non-reprocessed spent fuel disposal into underground repository. The Czech research and development programme in the field of partitioning and transmutation is founded on the Molten-salt Transmutation Reactor system concept with fluoride salts based liquid fuel, the fuel cycle of which is grounded on pyrochemical/pyrometallurgical fluoride partitioning of spent fuel. The main research activities in the field of fluoride partitioning are oriented mainly towards technological research of Fluoride Volatility Method and laboratory research on electro-separation methods from fluoride melts media. The research activities in the area of transmutation are oriented to the development of modified computer codes for calculations of neutronic characteristic and to the experimental research of reactor neutronics in fluoride salt media. The Czech national concept in the area of P&T research issues from the national power industry programme and from the Czech Power Company CEZ intentions of the extensive utilisation of nuclear power in our country. The experimental R&D work is concentrated mainly in the Nuclear Research Institute Rez plc.