A STUDY OF SAFEGUARDS SYSTEM FOR DRY REPROCESSING

Year
2002
Author(s)
Kenneth Thomas - Los Alamos National Laboratory
T. K. Li - Los Alamos National Laboratory
M. Fukushima - Japan Nuclear Cycle Development Institute
M. Hori - Japan Nuclear Cycle Development Institute
T.L. Burr - Los Alamos National Laboratory
Abstract
A “Feasibility Study on the Commercialized Fast Breeder Reactor (FBR) Cycle System” is underway at Japan Nuclear Cycle Development Institute (JNC). Concepts to commercialize the FBR fuel cycle are being created together with their necessary research and development (R&D) tasks. “Dry,” non-aqueous, processes are candidates for FBR fuel reprocessing. Dry reprocessing technology takes advantage of proliferation barriers, due to the lower decontamination factors achievable by the simple pyrochemical processes proposed. The concentration of highly radioactive impurities and non-fissile materials in products from a dry reprocess is generally significantly larger than the normal aqueous (Purex) process. However, the safeguards of dry reprocesses have not been widely analyzed. In 2000, JNC and Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) initiated a joint research program to study the safeguards aspects of dry reprocessing. In this study, the safeguardability of the three options: metal electrorefining, oxide electrowinning, and fluoride volatility processes, are assessed.