MC and A sampling activities at FCF

The electrometallurgical treatment of the Experimental Breeder Reactor-II (EBR-II) spent fuel has reached the end of its demonstration phase at the Fuel Conditioning Facility (FCF). During this phase sampling from the different material streams within the facility was important for both operational and safeguards activities. Compositions of samples are used in closeout of the different operational steps. In addition, sampling is an element of the MC and A measurement control program at the facility. It is used for inventory verification and confirmation. Errors associated with sampling are used in estimating the overall facility inventory difference uncertainty. This paper describes the MC and A sampling activities at FCF. The MC and A sampling program is described, which include sampling at the fuel element chopper, the electrorefiner, the casting furnace and waste sampling. Also, related sampling experiments are described. Those experiments were conducted in order to determine the sampling errors associated with the estimates of fissile material in certain material streams such as the electrorefiner's Cd pool and the metal waste ingots. Implementation of sampling procedures that led to reduction in the sampling errors are also described