Researchers at the Dalton Nuclear Institute at the University of Manchester in the UK have turned to the map of the famous London Tube to examine how nuclear fuel can be recycled and how the sustainability of nuclear energy can be further improved. In a review, the researchers compared six fuel cycle pathways, with wide complexities, but mapped them easily using the Tube map design, a first for the field.
Nuclear energy is poised to make a major comeback as the world looks for cleaner ways to meet its energy demands. The high carbon emissions of fossil fuels have forced countries to look towards renewable energy sources such as wind and solar. While these have become economically feasible over the years, they are not fully suitable as a replacement for fossil fuels.
For instance, wind and solar power plants require large tracts of land to generate the same amount of energy that a relatively smaller coal-fired plant can produce. Similarly, the intermittent nature of energy produced through renewables makes them unfeasible to maintain the grid or meet peak power demands by themselves. This is where a non-carbon-emitting power source like nuclear energy is helpful.
Sustainability of nuclear energy
Nuclear fission offers the advantage of low carbon emissions but needs much more work to become truly sustainable. First and foremost, it relies on a finite resource like uranium, which needs to be mined and is non-renewable. After being used in the reactor, it also generates a high amount of radioactive waste that requires long-term disposal strategies.
The team of researchers at Dalton Nuclear Institute was looking for ways to improve the sustainability of the process, without sacrificing the advantages it offers. They found that closing the fuel cycle could further improve sustainability.
“Closing the fuel cycle does come with real challenges, including those around safety, security and cost,” explained Robin Taylor, a professor at Dalton Nuclear Institute and the UK National Nuclear Laboratory. Drawing on UK’s experience of using nuclear fuels, the researchers found that these challenges could be addressed.
London Tube Map
The team compared various fuel cycle pathways, from those where the fuel was used once and the spent fuel was treated as a complete waste to more advanced options involving multiple stages of recycling.
The Nuclear Fuel Cycle visualization developed by the researchers at the University of Manchester, inspired by the London Underground Map. Image credit: The University of Manchester
“Visualizing various fuel cycle options together is hard, given the amount of information that needs to be presented simultaneously,” added William Bodel, who was also involved in the work. So, the team turned to Harry Beck’s iconic 1930s London Underground map, where complicated information is communicated visually and so effectively.
In a first for nuclear energy research, they decided to use this as a model to explain the different fuel cycle options in a visual manner and achieved it so concisely.
“Our review shows that while nuclear energy is already a sustainable source of low-carbon energy, successfully closing the fuel cycle could enhance this further,” concluded Bodel in the press release.
The research findings were published in the journal Sustainability.