LOGISTICAL CONSTRAINTS MUST BE CONSIDERED IN SIMULATION OF ~(238)Pu SUPPLY PROCESS

摘要

Oak Ridge National Laboratory, with support from Idaho National Laboratory and Los Alamos National Laboratory, has restarted ~(238)Pu production in the United States using existing nuclear facilities within the Department of Energy. The development work to support the restart includes a process simulation component. The process is being modeled using discrete-event system simulation to study the effects of logistical constraints on production rates and other operational characteristics. Vital logistical constraints include nuclear material inventory limits, human resource limitations, equipment capacities, chemical nuclear behaviors, and quality restrictions.