Development and implementation of attractiveness Level E criteria and the plutonium disposition methodology

Technical Report · Sun Mar 01 04:00:00 EST 1998

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/653947· OSTI ID:653947

Christensen, D C; Robinson, M A

Historically, the Department of Energy used the Economic Discard Limits (EDLs), those Special Nuclear Material (SNM) concentrations in residue matrices below which production of new SNM was more economic than SNM recovery, as a basis for discard decisions. In 1994, a joint team from DOE Defense Programs (DP) and Environmental Management (EM) determined that the EDLs were no longer a valid discriminator and directed that SNM disposition consider instead 12 specific criteria, foremost of which are waste minimization, environmental impacts, safety, proliferation concerns, and cost. In response, the Los Alamos National Laboratory developed a technical basis for determining SNM bearing materials unattractive for proliferation purposes and a quantitative method for predicting materials disposition consequences as a basis for decision making called the plutonium disposition methodology. The objective of attractiveness Level E criteria is to insure that waste is unattractive for proliferation or terrorist purposes. Level E criteria is about 0.17 kg Pu per 208 liter drum (requiring diversion of a minimum of 54 drums, assuming 100% recovery efficiency).

• Research Organization: Los Alamos National Lab., NM (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-36
• OSTI ID: 653947
• Report Number(s): LA--13425-MS; ON: DE98004413
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

05 NUCLEAR FUELS
21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
MAXIMUM PERMISSIBLE CONCENTRATION
MIXED OXIDE FUELS
NUCLEAR MATERIALS MANAGEMENT
PLUTONIUM
PLUTONIUM RECYCLE
PROLIFERATION
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
SAFEGUARDS