Evaluation of Process Monitoring Options for Electrolytic UO2 Reduction

When trying to minimize proliferation risk in high temperature nuclear fuel reprocessing, or pyroprocessing, the focus is typically on the electrorefiner. Another important step in the flowsheet that is often overlooked with respect to proliferation risk is oxide reduction. Process monitoring is widely viewed as effective for mitigating proliferation risks associated with reprocessing. Abnormal process measurements may signify tampering, meriting a rigorous review of operator declarations. This paper demonstrates the feasibility of using voltammetry to determine whether the process is being operated normally, as well as, discusses other techniques that may be used to expose tampering.