Mixed Oxide Fuel (Mox) Exploitation and Destruction in Power Reactors

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xv

   PDF

2. Nuclear Material Management

   1. Management of Plutonium in Russia

      • N. N. Egorov, V. M. Murogov, V. S. Kagramanian, M. F. Troyanov, V. M. Poplavski, V. I. Matveev

      Pages 1-15

   2. Overview Long-Term Disposition Options for Plutonium

      • Erich R. Merz

      Pages 17-23

   3. Basic Technological Solutions for Plutonium Management at the RT-2 Plant

      • D. N. Bykhovski

      Pages 25-30

   4. Disposition of Surplus Separated Plutonium Influence of Interim Storage of Plutonium

      • A. Decressin, E. Vanden Bemden

      Pages 31-42

3. Safeguards

   1. Security and Safeguards Aspects of Nuclear Material Handling in Russia

      • G. M. Pshakin, A. N. Tuzov

      Pages 43-49

   2. Security and Safeguards Aspects of Plutonium Facilities in BNFL, UK

      • R. Howsley

      Pages 51-55

   3. A Perspective on Safeguarding and Monitoring Excess Military Plutonium

      • W. G. Sutcliffe

      Pages 57-71

4. MOX Fuel Use

   1. Plutonium Burning in CANDU

      • P. G. Boczar, S. Kupca, P. J. Fehrenbach, A. R. Dastur

      Pages 73-81

   2. The Safety Criteria and VVER Core Modification for Weapon Plutonium Utilization

      • I. K. Levina, V. V. Saprykin, A. G. Morozov

      Pages 83-91

   3. A Plutonium-Fueled PWR 2000

      • P. Barbrault

      Pages 93-101

   4. Potential for Use of All-MOX Fuel in Existing and Evolutionary/Advanced LWRS in the United States

      • Carl E. Walter

      Pages 103-111

   5. Use of Mixed Oxide Fuel in Existing Light Water Reactors in Germany

      • Wolfgang Thomas

      Pages 113-122

   6. Japanese Nuclear Fuel Recycle

      • Tomohiro Yamano

      Pages 123-133

   7. Use of Plutonium in the UK

      • Paul Wilcox

      Pages 135-137

   8. MOX Fuel Utilization in Existing German LWRs: Design and Safety Aspects, Core Performance and Irradiation Experience

      • Gerhard J. Schlosser

      Pages 139-150

   9. Development of Fast Reactor Core for Weapons Grade Plutonium Utilization

      • I. Y. Krivitski, V. I. Matveev

      Pages 151-156

   10. Irradiation Experience and Post-Irradiation Examination Results for MOX Pellet Fuel of Fast Reactors

       • L. Zabudko, L. Moseev, L. Mamaev, S. Porollo

       Pages 157-163

5. MOX Fuel Fabrication

   1. Commercial MOX Fuel Fabrication and Irradiation Experience in Belgium

      • Y. Vanderborck, D. Haas, P. Deramaix, A. Vandergheynst

      Pages 165-191

   2. Plutonium Utilization Experience in Japan

      • Kenichiro Kaneda

      Pages 193-202

MOX fuel, a mixture of weapon-grade plutonium and natural or depleted uranium, may be used to deplete a portion of the world's surplus of weapon-grade plutonium. A number of reactors currently operate in Europe with one-third MOX cores, and others are scheduled to begin using MOX fuels in both Europe and Japan in the near future. While Russia has laboratory-scale MOX fabrication facilities, the technology remains under study. No fuels containing plutonium are used in the U.S.
The 25 presentations in this book give an impressive overview of MOX technology. The following issues are covered: an up to date report on the disposition of ex-weapons Pu in Russia; an analysis of safety features of MOX fuel configurations of different reactor concepts and their operating and control measures; an exchange of information on the status of MOX utilisation in existing power plants, the fabrication technology of various MOX fuels and their behaviour in practice; a discussion of the typical national approaches by Russia and the western countries to the utilisation of Pu as MOX fuel; an introduction to new ideas, enhancing the disposition option of MOX fuel exploitation and destruction in existing and future advanced reactor systems; and the identification of common research areas where defined tasks can be initiated in cooperative partnership.

• Plutonium
• control
• design
• manufacturing
• safety
• quality control, reliability, safety and risk

• Forschungszentrum Jülich, KFA, Jülich, Germany

  Erich R. Merz

• Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, University of California, Livermore, USA

  Carl E. Walter

• Institute of Physics & Power Engineering, Obninsk, Russia

  Gennady M. Pshakin

Policies and ethics