skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Characterization of candidate DOE sites for fabricating MOX fuel for lead assemblies

Abstract

The Office of Fissile Materials Disposition (MD) of the Department of Energy (DOE) is directing the program to disposition US surplus weapons-usable plutonium. For the reactor option for disposition of this surplus plutonium, MD is seeking to contract with a consortium, which would include a mixed-oxide (MOX) fuel fabricator and a commercial US reactor operator, to fabricate and burn MOX fuel in existing commercial nuclear reactors. This option would entail establishing a MOX fuel fabrication facility under the direction of the consortium on an existing DOE site. Because of the lead time required to establish a MOX fuel fabrication facility and the need to qualify the MOX fuel for use in a commercial reactor, MD is considering the early fabrication of lead assemblies (LAs) in existing DOE facilities under the technical direction of the consortium. The LA facility would be expected to produce a minimum of 1 metric ton heavy metal per year and must be operational by June 2003. DOE operations offices were asked to identify candidate sites and facilities to be evaluated for suitability to fabricate MOX fuel LAs. Savannah River Site, Argonne National Laboratory-West, Hanford, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and Los Alamos National Laboratory were identified asmore » final candidates to host the LA project. A Site Evaluation Team (SET) worked with each site to develop viable plans for the LA project. SET then characterized the suitability of each of the five plans for fabricating MOX LAs using 28 attributes and documented the characterization to aid DOE and the consortium in selecting the site for the LA project. SET concluded that each option has relative advantages and disadvantages in comparison with other options; however, each could meet the requirements of the LA project as outlined by MD and SET.« less

Authors:
; ; ; ;  [1];  [2];  [3]; ;  [4]
  1. Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (United States)
  2. Technical Resources International, Inc., Richland, WA (United States)
  3. Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (United States)
  4. Delta-21 Resources, Inc., Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE, Washington, DC (United States); USDOE Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy, Washington, DC (United States)
OSTI Identifier:
638259
Report Number(s):
ORNL/TM-13573
R&D Project: MDGA507; ON: DE98058139; TRN: 98:007877
DOE Contract Number:  
AC05-96OR22464
Resource Type:
Technical Report
Resource Relation:
Other Information: PBD: Mar 1998
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
05 NUCLEAR FUELS; 21 NUCLEAR POWER REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS; NUCLEAR MATERIALS MANAGEMENT; MIXED OXIDE FUELS; MIXED OXIDE FUEL FABRICATION PLANTS; PLUTONIUM; ANL; HANFORD RESERVATION; LANL; LAWRENCE LIVERMORE NATIONAL LABORATORY; SAVANNAH RIVER PLANT; EVALUATION; SITE SELECTION

Citation Formats

Holdaway, R F, Miller, J W, Sease, J D, Moses, R J, O`Connor, D G, Carrell, R D, Jaeger, C D, Thompson, M L, and Strasser, A A. Characterization of candidate DOE sites for fabricating MOX fuel for lead assemblies. United States: N. p., 1998. Web. doi:10.2172/638259.
Holdaway, R F, Miller, J W, Sease, J D, Moses, R J, O`Connor, D G, Carrell, R D, Jaeger, C D, Thompson, M L, & Strasser, A A. Characterization of candidate DOE sites for fabricating MOX fuel for lead assemblies. United States. https://doi.org/10.2172/638259
Holdaway, R F, Miller, J W, Sease, J D, Moses, R J, O`Connor, D G, Carrell, R D, Jaeger, C D, Thompson, M L, and Strasser, A A. 1998. "Characterization of candidate DOE sites for fabricating MOX fuel for lead assemblies". United States. https://doi.org/10.2172/638259. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/638259.
@article{osti_638259,
title = {Characterization of candidate DOE sites for fabricating MOX fuel for lead assemblies},
author = {Holdaway, R F and Miller, J W and Sease, J D and Moses, R J and O`Connor, D G and Carrell, R D and Jaeger, C D and Thompson, M L and Strasser, A A},
abstractNote = {The Office of Fissile Materials Disposition (MD) of the Department of Energy (DOE) is directing the program to disposition US surplus weapons-usable plutonium. For the reactor option for disposition of this surplus plutonium, MD is seeking to contract with a consortium, which would include a mixed-oxide (MOX) fuel fabricator and a commercial US reactor operator, to fabricate and burn MOX fuel in existing commercial nuclear reactors. This option would entail establishing a MOX fuel fabrication facility under the direction of the consortium on an existing DOE site. Because of the lead time required to establish a MOX fuel fabrication facility and the need to qualify the MOX fuel for use in a commercial reactor, MD is considering the early fabrication of lead assemblies (LAs) in existing DOE facilities under the technical direction of the consortium. The LA facility would be expected to produce a minimum of 1 metric ton heavy metal per year and must be operational by June 2003. DOE operations offices were asked to identify candidate sites and facilities to be evaluated for suitability to fabricate MOX fuel LAs. Savannah River Site, Argonne National Laboratory-West, Hanford, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and Los Alamos National Laboratory were identified as final candidates to host the LA project. A Site Evaluation Team (SET) worked with each site to develop viable plans for the LA project. SET then characterized the suitability of each of the five plans for fabricating MOX LAs using 28 attributes and documented the characterization to aid DOE and the consortium in selecting the site for the LA project. SET concluded that each option has relative advantages and disadvantages in comparison with other options; however, each could meet the requirements of the LA project as outlined by MD and SET.},
doi = {10.2172/638259},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/638259}, journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Sun Mar 01 00:00:00 EST 1998},
month = {Sun Mar 01 00:00:00 EST 1998}
}