Portions of this document may be illegible in electronic image products. Images are produced from the best available original document. TABLE OF CONTENTS .
This interim report reviews the potential role of nondestructive measure¬ ments on irradiated light-water reactor (LWR) fuels. The study is being per¬ formed for the Savannah River Interim Spent-Fuel Storage Project Office, with technical review by Savannah River Laboratory. Until recently, the scope of this study watt to develop the conceptual design of a spent-fuel nondestructive verification and assay system (VAS) for future away-from-reactor (AFR) spentfuel storage facilities and to fabricate, test, and demonstrate a prototype VAS syitem. The design of a prototype VAS is "'•80% complete, and some of the hardware already has been procured* Recent cha;-.-jas in Government policy regarding the acquisition and storage of excess spent fuel in federally operated AFR storage facilities may terminate the present study* At the same time, the Department of Energy (DOE) is pursuing a new policy for implementing new technologies to enable the domestic nuclear power industry to store its own spent fuel at reactor sites as much as possible, pending the startup of spent-fuel reprocessing plants* In the meantime, the nuclear power industry, under the joint sponsorship of DOE and the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), is investigating new fuel management and stor¬ age techniques aimed at using high-burnup fuels* Techniques in an advanced stage of development include high-density fuel storage, fuel-bundle disassembly with repackaging of new assemblies, and compaction and storage of high-burnup rods* Nuclear materials accounting and control for safeguards and nonproliferation and for new spent-fuel management technologies require nondestructive measurements that span a wide range of fuel characteristics and fuel types (Table S-I). In addition to satisfying safeguards requirements, these measure¬ ments can satisfy facility requirements, such as in-plant materials management, process control, and criticality control* Several nondestructive techniques are already well advanced, primarily because of this project and the US program of technical assistance to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)* The applicability of these nondestructive techniques is not limited to LWR spentfuel assemblies* The basic technology can be applied to any spent-fuel material (material test reactor and liquid-metal fast breeder reactor fuel materials). This new spent-fuel nondestructive measurement technology should be transferred to the nuclear industry* Specific recommendations of this interim study include • The Cerenkov viewing device and the neutron ring detector, both already developed for the IAEA/ should be transferred to the domestic nuclear industry* These devices are portable, relatively easy to use, and provide confirmation of the integrity and the burnup of spent-fuel assemblies. • The spent-fuel nondestructive VAS should be completed, and a program of field testing and demonstration should be carried out. This system would be the prototype for future in-plant, nondestructive measurement systems at spent-fuel storage and reproc...
Because of their value as nuclear fuels and their impact on long-term storage of high-level radioactive waste, measurement and accounting for minor actinides (MAS) produced in nuclear power reactors are becoming significant issues. This report attempts to put the issues in perspective by reviewing the commercial nuclear fuel cycle with emphasis on reprocessing plants and key measurement points therein. Radiation signatures and characteristics are compared and contrasted for special nuclear materials (SNMs) and MAS. Also, inventories and relative amounts of SNMs and MAS are generally described for irradiated nuclear fuel and reprocessing plants. The bulk of the report describes appropriate measurement technologies, capabilities, and development needs to satisfl material accounting requirements for MAS, with emphasis on adaptation of current technologies. Recommendations for future systems studies and development of measurement methods are also included.
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