Waste Disposal and Storage - hdbk1113cn10130

DOE-HDBK-1113-98

Radiological Safety Traning for Uranium Facilities

Module 102 - The Nuclear Fuel Cycle

Uranium was used in plutonium production reactors. Uranium fuel and targets were

coated with aluminum or zirconium metal and placed in the reactor. As they were

irradiated with neutrons, a small fraction of the uranium was converted to plutonium.

The irradiated fuel was then removed from the reactor, but the plutonium and uranium

had to be separated from the fission products created during irradiation.

PUREX, a chemical process for plutonium and uranium extraction from irradiated

nuclear fuel, was developed to accomplish this separation. This reprocessing was

accomplished as follows:

Excess metal was mechanically removed to expose the fuel material.

The fuel was leached with acid to remove it from the claddi ng.

The uranium and other elements were separated by solvent extraction (chemical

separation).

The uranium was converted back to UF6 for enrichment.

Waste Dispo sal and Stora ge

Due to the remaining radioactive properties, the nuclear fuel cycle byproducts must be

controlled and/or disposed. T hese byproducts can be divided into two cate gories--low-

level waste (LLW) and high-level waste (HLW).

LLW

The RCM glossary defines low-level waste (LLW) as "Waste that contains

radioactivity and is not classified as high-level waste, transuranic waste, spent

nuclear fuel, or byproduct material as defined in Section 11e(2) of the Atomic

Energy Act, as amended. Test specimens of fissionable material irradiated only

for research and development and not for production of power or plutonium may