Improving the sustainability and performance of Generation IV nuclear reactors by encouraging the recycling of fuel already used to reduce long-lived waste. This is the goal of the PuMMA (Plutonium Management for More Agility) project involving 20 partners from 12 European countries, including ENEA for Italy. The project, which is co-financed by the Euratom program, aims to assess the impact of the high plutonium content (about 40%) in the nuclear fuel of fast reactors and to examine the possible implications on safety and performance, but also scenarios for integrating the technology with those currently in use, for an increasingly sustainable nuclear power. Activities related to the project include both simulations through modeling and software and experimental analyses. For testing, data already available on high plutonium MOX, irradiated and analyzed by destructive and nondestructive examinations, were used.
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