Conversion of research and test reactors to low enriched uranium fuel : technical overview and program status.

Conference · Tue Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 2008

OSTI ID:982339

Roglans-Ribas, J

Many of the nuclear research and test reactors worldwide operate with high enriched uranium fuel. In response to worries over the potential use of HEU from research reactors in nuclear weapons, the U.S Department of Energy (DOE) initiated a program - the Reduced Enrichment for Research and Test Reactors (RERTR) - in 1978 to develop the technology necessary to reduce the use of HEU fuel by converting research reactors to low enriched uranium (LEU) fuel. The Reactor Conversion program is currently under the DOE's National Nuclear Security Administration's Global Threat Reduction Initiative (GTRI). 55 of the 129 reactors included in the scope have been already converted to LEU fuel or have shutdown prior to conversion. The major technical activities of the Conversion Program include: (1) the development of advanced LEU fuels; (2) conversion analysis and conversion support; and (3) technology development for the production of Molybdenum-99 (Mo{sup 99}) with LEU targets. The paper provides an overview of the status of the program, the technical challenges and accomplishments, and the role of international collaborations in the accomplishment of the Conversion Program objectives. Nuclear research and test reactors worldwide have been in operation for over 60 years. Many of these facilities operate with high enriched uranium fuel. In response to increased worries over the potential use of HEU from research reactors in the manufacturing of nuclear weapons, the U.S Department of Energy (DOE) initiated a program - the Reduced Enrichment for Research and Test Reactors (RERTR) - in 1978 to develop the technology necessary to reduce the use of HEU fuel in research reactors by converting them to low enriched uranium (LEU) fuel. The reactor conversion program was initially focused on U.S.-supplied reactors, but in the early 1990s it expanded and began to collaborate with Russian institutes with the objective of converting Russian supplied reactors to the use of LEU fuel.

• Research Organization: Argonne National Laboratory (ANL)
• Sponsoring Organization: NNSA
• DOE Contract Number: AC02-06CH11357
• OSTI ID: 982339
• Report Number(s): ANL/NE/CP-60316
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: ENGLISH

Related Subjects

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS
CONVERSION
ENERGY
ENRICHED URANIUM
ENRICHMENT
FUELS
MANAGEMENT
MANUFACTURING
MEETINGS
MOLYBDENUM 99
NUCLEAR WEAPONS
OPERATION
POTENTIALS
PRODUCTION
REACTORS
REDUCTION
RESEARCH AND TEST REACTORS
RESEARCH REACTORS
SECURITY
SHUTDOWN
TARGETS