Press Release (96)144 10 October 1996

Scientists Explore Advanced Nuclear Systems Consuming Excess Plutonium 13-16 October, Moscow Nuclear scientists and engineers from seven NATO member and four Cooperation Partner countries will consider innovative approaches to dispose of plutonium at an Advanced Research Workshop on 13-16 October in Moscow. Hosted by the Nuclear Safety Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the meeting, "Advanced Nuclear Systems Consuming Excess Plutonium" aims at exploring options for plutonium disposal which have not yet been examined in depth. Participants will consider a number of advanced atomic fissioning systems, with a goal of identifying those which consume large amounts of plutonium. Systems to be examined include advanced light water reactors (LWRs), CANDU reactors using plutonium and thorium based fuel, sodium and lead-cooled fast reactors, high temperature gas-cooled reactor systems, and molten salt reactor systems using plutonium and thorium type fuels. Assessments will be made of the comparative amounts of radioactive products, the level of safety of these systems compared with future innovative LWRs and fast reactors, and the amount and quality of waste from each process. The anticipated output of this Workshop is an assessment of the potential utility of each approach to consume weapons plutonium, the key unresolved issues related to each approach, and the key unresolved issues of each fuel cycle technology. Co-directors of the workshop are Prof. E. Merz, KFA-ISR-3, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany (Fax: +49.2461.612450) and Prof. L.A. Bolshov, Nuclear Safety Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia (Fax: +7.095.230.2029) For further information, contact Prof. Merz (Fax: 49.2461.612450) or Mrs. Nancy Schulte, Programme Director, Disarmament Technologies, NATO, B-1110 Brussels, Belgium (Fax: 32.2 707.4232).