Chair(s): |
Nathalie CHAUVIN, France |
Secretary: |
Shahab DABIRAN-ZOHOORY (shahab.dabiran-zohoory@oecd-nea.org) |
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Member(s): | All NEA member countries* | ||
Russia (Suspended*) | |||
*Russian Federation suspended pursuant to a decision of the OECD Council. | |||
EU participation: |
The European Union (EU) takes part in the work of the NEA, in accordance with the NEA Statute and the Supplementary Protocol to the Convention on the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. | ||
Observer(s)(International Organisation): |
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) By agreement | ||
Date of creation: | 01 June 2004 | ||
End of mandate: | 31 March 2027 |
Mandate (Document reference):
Mandate (Document extract):
Extract from document [NEA/NSC/WPFC(2024)1]
Background
As a result of the prioritisation effort in 2020, a reform of NSC activities was performed under the guidance of the NSC Bureau. Among other actions, this has resulted in the reorganisation of the Working Party on Scientific Issues of the Fuel Cycle (WPFC) and its related expert groups. The WPFC was renamed as Working Party on Scientific Issues of Advanced Fuel Cycles (WPFC) and shifted its focus of its activities on advanced fuel cycles and innovative systems.
Scope
Under the guidance of the Nuclear Science Committee, the WPFC will deal with scientific issues in various existing and advanced nuclear fuel cycles. The work will mainly focus on advanced and innovative technologies, open and closed fuel cycles to comply with advanced systems criteria. The WPFC will cover all types of Generation IV reactors and innovative concepts including (but not limited to) innovative fuel cycles (e.g., closed with hydro-/pyro- reprocessing, plutonium (Pu) burning/multirecycling, minor actinide transmutation, etc.).
Objectives
- Fuel cycle scenarios:
- Recycling and waste technologies:
- Fuels and fuel elements:
- Reactor coolant and components technologies:
- Advanced fuel cycles, partitioning and transmutation (P&T) in Generation IV systems and accelerator-driven systems:
- advanced fuel cycles including P&T and Pu management;
- accelerator and neutron source; subcritical system design and relationship to nuclear fuel cycles.
Working methods
The WPFC will report to the Nuclear Science Committee. The WPFC will meet once per year, with additional meetings in support of particular activities such as expert groups and potential task forces reporting to the WPFC.
Interactions
The WPFC will liaise closely with other relevant NSC working parties and NEA standing technical committees and their subsidiary bodies, especially with the Committee for Technical and Economic Studies on Nuclear Energy Development and the Fuel Cycle (NDC), such as the Working Group on Small Modular Reactor Economics (SMR-ECON), the Working Party on Nuclear Energy Economics (WPNE) and with the Radioactive Waste Management Committee (RWMC) to ensure the respective programmes of work are complementary and to provide advice and support where required, undertaking jointly work where appropriate. Particularly close working relationships will be maintained with the Working Party on Scientific Issues and Uncertainty Analysis of Reactor Systems (WPRS) and the Working Party on Materials Science Issues in Nuclear Fuels and Structural Materials (WPFM) as well as with the Generation IV International Forum (GIF). The WPFC will work in co-operation with other international organisations (European Commission, International Atomic Energy Agency). The WPFC will also work with the Scientific Advisory Committee of the Information Exchange Meeting on Actinide and Fission Product Partitioning and Transmutation (IEMPT).
Deliverables
The WPFC will organise IEMPTs on a regular basis and will work with its expert groups to produce the deliverables contained in the expert group mandates listed below: