Filters
Results 1 - 1 of 1
Results 1 - 1 of 1.
Search took: 0.021 seconds
AbstractAbstract
[en] The processing facilities for recovery of uranium and plutonium from irradiated fuel elements have operated since 1954 without major unplanned interruptions. The operation has comprised capaigns ranging from a few weeks to two years, with no prolonged outages except for a period of about two years when one of the two processing facilities was remodeled to increase its capacity. Over the 23-year period 1954-1976, approximately 30,000 metric tons of irradiated uranium were processed. Since 1958, in addition to recovery of uranium and weapons-grade 239Pu, the plant has produced 238Pu, which is used principally as a heat source. Through June 1976, a total of 320 kg of 238Pu has been shipped offsite. There have been no lost-time injuries due to radiation and no criticality accidents in these or other Savannah River Plant (SRP) facilities. Radiation exposures to individual workers in fuel reprocessing at SRP have averaged 0.3 to 0.7 rem per year. Releases of radioactivity to the atmosphere and to plant streams and environmental levels of radionuclides have been monitored since startup. Fuel irradiated in SRP reactors is stored in a water-filled basin at each reactor for a period of time to permit decay of short-lived radioactivity before shipment to the reprocessing areas. Currently that storage period is a minimum of 200 days. In addition to its fuel processing activities, SRP stores a number of special ERDA-irradiated fuels which require shear-leach dissolution or other major processes not available at SRP. These fuels, containing a total of 2500 kg of 235U, are stored underwater in the RBOF facility. A number have been in storage since 1968. Storage in RBOF has been without significant incident
Primary Subject
Source
Sep 1977; 55 p; Available from NTIS., PC A04/MF A01
Record Type
Report
Report Number
Country of publication
Reference NumberReference Number
INIS VolumeINIS Volume
INIS IssueINIS Issue