Comparison of Costs for Implementing Excess Fissile Materials Conversion and Storage

Year
1999
Author(s)
William A. Averill - Los Alamos National Laboratory
Thomas L. Rising - Los Alamos National Laboratory
Drew E. Kornreich - Los Alamos National Laboratories
Robert H. Spencer - Los Alamos National Laboratory
Abstract
Three proposals for Processing excess fissile material (FM) were compared with respect to cost and personnel radiation exposure. This analysis was performed to determine the feasibility for disposal of FM in two existing facilities, and the potential savings if alternative processing technologies were implemented. The processes studied were removal of FM from the current storage form in the excess inventory, conversion of the FM to a standardized form, then packaging the FM in containers that would provide safe, secure, monitorable, long-term storage. The cost analysis was conducted for all three processes operated at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). The cost and dose assessment provides the following: the costs for operating the ARRP in an existing facility, an estimate for the ARRP proposal costs should that process be performed at LANL, an estimate for the conversion and packaging of the same mass of material for each of the LANL proposed alternatives, and an estimate of the total personnel radiation dose for each of the three options proposed. The cos estimate for all three proposals to be operated at LANL includes the bases, assumptions and operating parameters required for FM operations at LANL. This allows all three options to be compared on equivalent terms.