Improved material accounting for plutonium processing facilities and a /sup 235/U-HTGR fuel fabrication facility

Technical Report · Wed Oct 01 00:00:00 EDT 1975

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/7235787· OSTI ID:7235787

McSweeney, T I; Johnston, J W; Schneider, R A; Granquist, D P

This study described the general safeguards characteristics of a material measurement system and then describes typical accounting systems for a fuel reprocessing plant, a plutonium nitrate to oxide conversion facility, a LWR mixed oxide fuel fabrication facility, and a high-enriched uranium HTGR fuels plant. These facilities are commercial size, envisioned to be operating in the mid-1980s. Present facilities tend to have large static inventories of material whereas future facilities will have a high material throughput. Systematic errors will pose the greatest limit on measurement systems in future facilities. Recommendations are given for the licensing review process for material accounting performance, the capability of measurement systems and regulations governing cumulative LEMUF and series of MUFs. Present regulations and the recommendations should result in improved material accounting in future facilities. Improvements specific to a particular facility were also identified. The recommendations should greatly improve the material accounting characteristics of future plutonium and high-enriched uranium processing facilities. Benefits of an improved material accounting system are compared with the costs of the improvements. The requirement for a formal quarterly inventory over the separations area of a reprocessing plant results in an annual lost production cost of $25M. This high penalty prevents reducing the formal inventory requirement from the present semiannual regulatory requirement. In all other cases, the cost-benefit relationship of the improvements is favorable. 8 fig., 53 tables. (DLC)

• Research Organization: Battelle Pacific Northwest Labs., Richland, WA (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: E(45-1)-1830
• OSTI ID: 7235787
• Report Number(s): BNWL-2098; TRN: 77-005588
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

98 NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT, SAFEGUARDS, AND PHYSICAL PROTECTION
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
FUEL FABRICATION PLANTS
ACCOUNTING
FUEL REPROCESSING PLANTS
MIXED OXIDE FUEL FABRICATION PLANTS
PLUTONIUM RECYCLE
SAFEGUARDS
COST BENEFIT ANALYSIS
HTGR TYPE REACTORS
RECOMMENDATIONS
REPROCESSING
FUEL CYCLE
GAS COOLED REACTORS
GRAPHITE MODERATED REACTORS
MANAGEMENT
NUCLEAR FACILITIES
REACTORS
SEPARATION PROCESSES
055001* - Nuclear Fuels- Safeguards
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050800 - Nuclear Fuels- Spent Fuels Reprocessing
050700 - Nuclear Fuels- Fuels Production & Properties
210300 - Power Reactors
Nonbreeding
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