Characterization of high level liquid waste generated from reprocessing of power reactor spent fuel

High level Liquid Waste (HLW) is generated during the reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel which is used to recover uranium and plutonium. More than 99% of the radioactivity generated during the burning of nuclear fuel in the reactor is present in HLW. For the efficient management of HLW either by vitrification in the suitable borosilicate glass matrix, or partitioning and transmutation (P and T) of the minor actinides and long lived fission products, it is desired to assay the HLW for its constituent stable elements as well as radioactive content. The present article gives a brief account of an exercise carried out recently to characterize the HLW from PREFRE, Tarapur. (author)