The management of spent fuel and post-irradiation examination fuel samples from experimental, research and prototype power reactors in the United Kingdom

There are a number of experimental, research and prototype power reactors in the United Kingdom, situated in nuclear power research establishments, universities and industrial companies. They include materials testing reactors, Argonaut and Triga type research reactors and prototypes of advanced gas-cooled, high temperature, heavy water moderated steam generating and fast reactors. These reactors use a wide variety of types of fuel which differ in the chemical and metallurgical nature of the fissile material, enrichment, cladding material, geometrical form of the fuel elements etc. Various schemes are used for the management of the spent fuel from these reactors. Some of these schemes make use of the extensive reprocessing and fuel fabrication facilities in the UK. These include reprocessing plants at Dounreay for MTR and prototype fast reactor fuel, a commercial reprocessing plant at Sellafield for spent uranium metal fuel from gas-cooled Magnox reactors and another plant (THORP), which will be available in the early 1990's to reprocess oxide fuel from thermal reactors. In this paper details are given on the management of the spent fuel from these various reactors and also on samples of the spent fuel from the prototype power reactors which have been subjected to post irradiation examination. (author). 8 refs, 3 tabs