Environmental assessment: special isotope separation process selection

Technical Report · Mon Mar 31 23:00:00 EST 1986

OSTI ID:5191678

This Environmental Assessment (EA) evaluates the differences in potential environmental impacts between two plutonium Special Isotope Separation (SIS) technologies: Atomic Vapor Laser Isotope Separation (AVLIS) and Molecular Laser Isotope Separation (MLIS). Both SIS technologies use PuO/sub 2/ as feed; AVLIS converts feed to plutonium metal and MLIS converts feed to PuF/sub 6/. The AVLIS process uses laser energy to selectively photoionize and electrostatically separate plutonium isotopes from an atomic vapor stream. The MLIS process uses laser energy to selectively disassociate specific isotopes of plutonium in the form of PuF/sub 6/ molecules to create PuF/sub 5/ for collection and further processing. Both processes produce plutonium metal as their product. An evaluation of differences in potential environmental impacts attributed to the construction of an SIS facility, based on either technology, included a comparison of construction materials, land areas required, and the size of the design and construction workforce. The differences in potential environmental impacts from operating an SIS facility were also compared. No large differences in potential environmental impacts would be expected from the use of process chemicals. An AVLIS or an MLIS facility would produce operating effluents that would meet all applicable radiation, chemical, and hazardous waste standards and would be constructed to protect workers, the public and the environment. This EA has not revealed any significant differences in the potential environmental impacts that could occur as a result of deploying either the AVLIS or the MLIS Special Isotope Separation technology.

• Research Organization: USDOE, Washington, DC
• OSTI ID: 5191678
• Report Number(s): DOE/EA-0298; ON: DE87000814
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

053000* -- Nuclear Fuels-- Environmental Aspects
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
530200 -- Environmental-Social Aspects of Energy Technologies-- Assessment of Energy Technologies-- (-1989)
CHEMICAL EFFLUENTS
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
ISOTOPE SEPARATION
LAND USE
LASER ISOTOPE SEPARATION
MATERIALS
RADIOACTIVE EFFLUENTS
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
SEPARATION PROCESSES
WASTES