Light Water Breeder Reactor core evaluation operations at the expended core facility (LWBR Development Program)

Technical Report · Thu Oct 01 04:00:00 EDT 1987

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/5490089· OSTI ID:5490089

Williams, J. T.

This report presents an overview of the processes and equipment used to receive, examine, and store the Light Water Breeder Reactor (LWBR) fuel modules once they had been partially disassembled and shipped to the Expended Core Facility (ECF) in Idaho for storage in an underwater facility. At ECF, the 39 fuel modules underwent further disassembly to provide fuel rods for nondestructive testing to establish the core's breeding efficiency and to provide core components for examinations to assess their performance characteristics. Thirteen of the modules were examined visually with underwater cameras. Ten of the 13 plus two additional modules were disassembled to permit removal of individual fuel rods. A total of 1075 rods were removed from these 12 modules; 524 were examined at ECF, 34 were examined at Argonne National Laboratories (ANL), and the remainder of the rods were removed to allow internal examination of the modules. Additionally, a number of component pieces and fasteners were removed from the modules and examined. At the conclusion of the program, all modules and rods were shipped to the Idaho Chemical Processing Plant (ICPP) for long-term underground storage.

• Research Organization: Bettis Atomic Power Lab., West Mifflin, PA (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC11-76PN00014
• OSTI ID: 5490089
• Report Number(s): WAPD-TM-1611; ON: DE88005109
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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