Vitrocerus: An alternative for processing MTR spent fuel from research reactors
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Vitrocerus: An alternative for processing MTR spent fuel from research reactors P.A Arboleda1,3, D.S Rodríguez2,3 and M.O Prado1,2,3 1
Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET). Avda. Rivadavia
1917, CP 1033 AAJ, Buenos Aires, Argentina 2
Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica (CNEA). Centro Atómico Bariloche (CAB) -
Av.E.Bustillo 9500 - (8400) - S. C. de Bariloche - (RN). Argentina 3
Instituto Balseiro. U de Cuyo. Av E Bustillo 9500, S.C de Bariloche. Argentina
ABSTRACT Research reactors spent fuels disposal is a problematic area that conduces to the quest of feasible solutions for ensure safe destination of the spent fuels. In this work, a new method for processing spent fuel from MTR reactors is presenting. The main objective of this process, is the immobilization of principal radioactive elements that are present in the spent fuel, in order to achieve a suitable material which could be temporally stored safely. The Vitrocerus method involves ordinary physical procedures performed in a hot cell. It differs from conventional vitrification because there is a reduction in volume of glass material added. The process propose the ceramization of a mixture of spent fuel plates (wich were milled and calcined previously) with natural uranium oxide (U3O8) to obtain the desired isotopic dilution (to low the U235 enrichment). At the same time, a small fraction of VG98/12 glass [1] was added to enhance low temperature sintering. The treatment and conditioning tasks proposed in Vitrocerus were tested on MTR fuel miniplates that simulate a real U3Si2 dispersed in Al fuel, which were successfully transformed into ceramic sintered pellets [2,3] with low enrichment, structural integrity, outstanding mechanical properties and water corrosion resistance. Eventually these pellets could be stored safely in an interim dry storage facility. INTRODUCTION Argentina counts with three research reactors whose work since a few decades with MTR fuels. Disposal of spent fuel has been an investigation issue, searching isolate them of biosphere. Nowadays, spent fuels are in cooling pools at the reactor, and some of them show corrosion hints, with a possible radionuclide release. One objective of the argentine Programa Nacional de Gestión de Residuos Radiactivos (Radioactive Wastes Management National Program) is to provide a solution for safety location of these elements. In the last years, processing methods for spent fuels type MTR from research reactors has developed in Nuclear Materials Division at CAB (Bariloche Atomic Center); these processes involved the creation of ceramic matrix containing fuel and natural uranium in an isotopic solution. The project described
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has named CERUS (Spanish acronym of Ceramización de Elementos Radioactivos en Uranio Sinterizado). This process works with reduced volumes than a conventional vitrification, however, because of some issues on the material resistance; we propose the addition of small amounts of glass to enhance the lixiviation and resistance properties of the fi
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