Problems of Dismantling, Treating, and Analyzing Highly Irradiated Fuel Elements

摘要

For some years hot laboratories have been receiving highly irradiated fuel elements from experimental reactors and new-generation power reactors. The hazards associated with these fuel elements are greater than those encountered in the past and it has been necessary to re-equip numerous facilities, improving the techniques used and the precautions taken in respect of personnel so that the operating conditions remain satisfactory. The operation of well-designed facilities doing this type of work has in fact become safer. Four representative facilities are described as examples--a dismantling cell with an inert atmosphere, associated with the Phenix reactor, a mechanical chopper cell for oxide fuel elements installed at the head of a pilot reprocessing plant, a radiometallurgy laboratory handling breeder fuel elements and californium, and a facility for chemical analysis of fuel elements. The paper shows that proper control has been established over the different hazards inherent in this type of facility in normal operation and in emergency conditions. These results are confirmed by the conditions of operation with teams having very long experience. (ERA citation 03:056625)