Fuel cycles using adulterated plutonium

Conference · Sun Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1978

OSTI ID:6816850

Brooksbank, R. E.; Bigelow, J. E.; Campbell, D. O.; Kitts, F. G.; Lindauer, R. B.

Adjustments in the U-Pu fuel cycle necessitated by decisions made to improve the nonproliferation objectives of the US are examined. The uranium-based fuel cycle, using bred plutonium to provide the fissile enrichment, is the fuel system with the highest degree of commercial development at the present time. However, because purified plutonium can be used in weapons, this fuel cycle is potentially vulnerable to diversion of that plutonium. It does appear that there are technologically sound ways in which the plutonium might be adulterated by admixture with /sup 238/U and/or radioisotopes, and maintained in that state throughout the fuel cycle, so that the likelihood of a successful diversion is small. Adulteration of the plutonium in this manner would have relatively little effect on the operations of existing or planned reactors. Studies now in progress should show within a year or two whether the less expensive coprocessing scheme would provide adequate protection (coupled perhaps with elaborate conventional safeguards procedures) or if the more expensive spiked fuel cycle is needed as in the proposed civex pocess. If the latter is the case, it will be further necessary to determine the optimum spiking level, which could vary as much as a factor of a billion. A very basic question hangs on these determinations: What is to be the nature of the recycle fuel fabrication facilities. If the hot, fully remote fuel fabrication is required, then a great deal of further development work will be required to make the full cycle fully commercial.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab., Tenn. (USA)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-26
• OSTI ID: 6816850
• Report Number(s): CONF-780330--2
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

055001* -- Nuclear Fuels-- Safeguards
Inspection
& Accountability-- Technical Aspects
98 NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT, SAFEGUARDS, AND PHYSICAL PROTECTION
ACTINIDE ISOTOPES
ACTINIDE NUCLEI
ACTINIDES
ALPHA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
DENATURED FUEL
DILUTION
DISPERSIONS
ELEMENTS
ENERGY SOURCES
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
FUEL CYCLE
FUELS
HEAVY NUCLEI
ISOTOPES
METALS
MIXTURES
NON-PROLIFERATION TREATY
NUCLEAR FUELS
NUCLEAR MATERIALS DIVERSION
NUCLEI
PLUTONIUM
RADIOISOTOPES
REACTOR MATERIALS
SAFEGUARDS
TRANSURANIUM ELEMENTS
TREATIES
URANIUM
URANIUM 238
URANIUM ISOTOPES
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES