French experience and program of reprocessing

Nuclear fuel is reprocessed at La Hague factory in France, where the fuel discharged from the graphite-moderated, gas-cooled reactor was originally reprocessed and pre-reprocessing facilities were added for reprocessing the fuel of light water reactors in 1976. The first hot test was conducted with the fuel of 14.3 t, which had been transported from the Muehlberg nuclear power plant in Switzerland. Oxide fuel of about 1000 t will be reprocessed there within five years. As for the technical developments, for example, the improvement of reliability of machines addition of tielines, isolated cells for decontamination and repair works, checking-up of the air ventilation system for the cells, reduction of exposure dose for workers and the recirculation of radioactive wastes within plants are enumerated. The Purex process in kept to be used for reprocessing, and the new security concept, like Pyrex concept, which was supported by COGEMA at the meeting of INFCE, will be adopted in the design. As for the glass solidification of high radioactive wastes, a demonstration plant with 100 t per year capacity was constructed at Marcoule, based on the much basic experience. This plant has been operated since July, 1978, and more than 30 t of radioactive glass has been produced. The reprocessing plants UP2 and UP3-A, both constructed at La Hague, have the capacity of 800 t a year each, and the capacity of storing spent fuel will be about 4000 t after the completion. The reprocessing plants consist of preprocessing process, solvent extraction process, plutonium and uranium conversion process, glass solidification facility, and storing facility. The construction schedule of UP3-A is explained, and the reprocessing capacity of about 6000 t is planned for ten years with UP3-A. (Nakai, Y.)