THE Y-12 NATIONAL SECURITY COMPLEX’S EFFORTS SUPPORTING THE FOREIGN RESEARCH REACTOR SPENT NUCLEAR FUEL PROGRAM

The Y-12 National Security Complex (Y-12) has completed mission activities preparing for the imminent return of United States origin highly enriched uranium (HEU) from Argentina. The mission supports the goals of the National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) Foreign Research Reactor Spent Nuclear Fuel (FRRSNF) Return Program under the aegis of the Global Threat Reduction Initiative. The Argentine HEU originates from the Comision Nacional Energia Atomica’s (CNEA) shutdown RA-2 critical assembly. The HEU is in the form of material test reactor plates consisting of a uranium-aluminum alloy core clad in aluminum. This paper describes both the programmatic and technical activities required to complete the mission. The programmatic activities include contractual requirements between the NNSA and CNEA, National Environmental Policy Act documentation, and safeguards agreements. The technical activities include inspection results, material reconfiguration, and transportation.