Depleted uranium hexafluoride: The source material for advanced shielding systems
- Idaho National Engineering Lab., Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
- Department of Technology, Germantown, MD (United States)
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has a management challenge and financial liability problem in the form of 50,000 cylinders containing 555,000 metric tons of depleted uranium hexafluoride (UF{sub 6}) that are stored at the gaseous diffusion plants. DOE is evaluating several options for the disposition of this UF{sub 6}, including continued storage, disposal, and recycle into a product. Based on studies conducted to date, the most feasible recycle option for the depleted uranium is shielding in low-level waste, spent nuclear fuel, or vitrified high-level waste containers. Estimates for the cost of disposal, using existing technologies, range between $3.8 and $11.3 billion depending on factors such as the disposal site and the applicability of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). Advanced technologies can reduce these costs, but UF{sub 6} disposal still represents large future costs. This paper describes an application for depleted uranium in which depleted uranium hexafluoride is converted into an oxide and then into a heavy aggregate. The heavy uranium aggregate is combined with conventional concrete materials to form an ultra high density concrete, DUCRETE, weighing more than 400 lb/ft{sup 3}. DUCRETE can be used as shielding in spent nuclear fuel/high-level waste casks at a cost comparable to the lower of the disposal cost estimates. Consequently, the case can be made that DUCRETE shielded casks are an alternative to disposal. In this case, a beneficial long term solution is attained for much less than the combined cost of independently providing shielded casks and disposing of the depleted uranium. Furthermore, if disposal is avoided, the political problems associated with selection of a disposal location are also avoided. Other studies have also shown cost benefits for low level waste shielded disposal containers.
- Research Organization:
- Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (United States); Tennessee Univ., Knoxville, TN (United States). Energy, Environment and Resources Center
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC07-94ID13223
- OSTI ID:
- 457176
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-961089--; ON: DE97004100
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Development of `DUCRETE`
An advanced solution for the storage, transportation and disposal of spent fuel and vitrified high level waste