Material control and accountability aspects of safeguards for the USA /sup 233/U/TH fuel recycle plant
Two fuel cycles are considered. The highly enriched uranium (HEU) cycle uses uranium enriched 93% in /sup 235/U as the initial fuel. The medium enriched uranium (MEU) cycle uses uranium with a /sup 235/U enrichment less than 20% as its initial fuel. In both, /sup 233/U is bred from thorium. The HEU /sup 235/U and the /sup 233/U of both cycles are recycled. The MEU /sup 235/U is retired to waste after one reactor cycle. Typical heavy metal contents of spent fuel elements from both cycles are presented. The main functional areas of the recycle plant are Shipping, Receiving, and Storage; Reprocessing; Refabrication; and Waste Treatment. A real-time materials accountability system will manage the data provided by measurements from all four areas. Simulations of material flow used in the HTGR development program are forerunners of such a system. The material control and accountability aspects of Reprocessing and Refabrication only are discussed. The proposed accountability areas are identified and the measurement techniques appropriate to various streams crossing the boundaries of the areas are identified. Special emphasis is placed on novel nondestructive methods developed for assaying solid materials containing /sup 233/U-Th. The material form, total uranium and plutonium, and activity of selected reprocessing streams are listed. The isotopics and activity of the uranium input into Refabrication are also presented.
- Research Organization:
- Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-26
- OSTI ID:
- 6441129
- Report Number(s):
- ORNL/TM-6645; TRN: 79-003966
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
FUEL CYCLE CENTERS
NUCLEAR MATERIALS MANAGEMENT
HTGR TYPE REACTORS
FUEL CYCLE
ACCOUNTING
SAFEGUARDS
THORIUM CYCLE
URANIUM 233
ACTINIDE ISOTOPES
ACTINIDE NUCLEI
ALPHA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
EVEN-ODD NUCLEI
GAS COOLED REACTORS
GRAPHITE MODERATED REACTORS
HEAVY NUCLEI
ISOTOPES
MANAGEMENT
NUCLEAR FACILITIES
NUCLEI
RADIOISOTOPES
REACTORS
URANIUM ISOTOPES
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
055001* - Nuclear Fuels- Safeguards
Inspection
& Accountability- Technical Aspects
050800 - Nuclear Fuels- Spent Fuels Reprocessing