Radiation protection aspects in the metallurgical examination of irradiated fuel elements

The operational safety requirements of hot cell facilities for metallurgical examination of irradiated natural and enriched uranium fuel elements are highlighted. The cell shielding is designed for handling activities equivalent of 102 to 105 curies of gamma energy of 1.3 Mev. A brief outline of the built-in design features relevant to safety assessment is also incorporated. Reference is made to some salient features of Radiometallurgy Cells at Trombay. Metallurgical operations include investigations on cladding failure of irradiated material structure and specimen preparation from hot fuel element. The radiation protection aspects presented in this paper show that handling low irradiated fuel elements in these beta-gamma cells do not cause serious operational safety problems. The procedures followed and the containment provided would adequately restrict exposure of operational staff to acceptable limits. (author)