Progress, Challenges, and Opportunities for Converting U.S. and Russian Research Reactors A Workshop Report (2012) / Chapter Skim
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1 Introduction and Background
1 Introduction and Background
Pages 3-20
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on progress, challenges, and opportunities for converting United States and Russian Federation (R.F.) research reactors1 from highly enriched uranium (HEU)
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The remainder of the chapter provides background information on proliferation risks associated with civilian use of HEU; basic operating principles and terminology associated with research reactors; and potential impacts of reducing HEU use in research reactors. Much of the content of this discussion is drawn from symposium briefings (Adelfang, 2011; Arkhangelsky, 2011; D'Agostino, 2011; Dragunov, 2011; Matos, 2011; Roglans, 2011a)
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. The potential proliferation risk associated with the use of HEU-fueled research reactors -- the focus of the symposium and this summary report -- arises from the need to transport and store both unirradiated and irradi 6 "The term ‘special nuclear material' means plutonium, uranium enriched in the isotope 233 or in the isotope 235, and any other material that the [Nuclear Regulatory]
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. Similarly, many existing research reactors can operate using LEU fuel rather than HEU fuel (see Chapters 2 and 3 of this report)
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At present, 75 civilian research reactors are operated using HEU fuel; the remainder have been converted to LEU fuel and/or shut down. SOURCE: Adelfang (2011)
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Most notably, research reactors are typically designed to produce higher thermal neutron fluxes at much lower thermal outputs than power reactors. Most research reactors are also physically much smaller than power reactors (typically having core volumes of less than a cubic meter versus tens of cubic meters)
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Reduced Enrichment for Research and Test Reactors pro bitmap gram. The conversion was completed in 1984.
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History of Research Reactor Conversion Efforts The first U.S.- and Soviet-supplied research reactors, which were constructed beginning in the 1950s, were designed to operate on LEU fuel. During the 1960s and 1970s, power upgrades14 in U.S.-supplied reactors required increased uranium-235 element loadings to reduce fuel consumption and contain fuel fabrication costs.
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. eliminate the civilian use of highly enriched uranium.15 At present, all of DOE's HEU elimination efforts for civilian research and test reactors16 are 15 More information about this program can be found at www.rertr.anl.gov.
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on conversion studies and fuel development. Following these interactions, the Russian program began to develop fuel with a less than 20 percent enrichment based on uranium dioxide fuel for the conversion of foreign research reactors.18 Significant progress has been made to convert HEU-fueled research and test reactors around the world.
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. To implement the Obama-Medvedev Joint Statement, Rosatom Director General Sergey Kiriyenko and DOE Deputy Secretary Daniel Poneman signed an agreement during their December 6-7, 2010, meeting to begin studies to determine the technical feasibility and economic impact of converting six HEU-fueled research reactors in Russia (Arkhangelsky, 2011; D'Agostino, 2011)
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14 CONVERTING U.S. AND RUSSIAN RESEARCH REACTORS TABLE 1-1 Civilian Research Reactors in Operation in the United States in 2011 Peak Steady-State Institution, Thermal Power Thermal Flux Date of (n/cm2-s)
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15 INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND TABLE 1-1 Continued Peak Steady-State Institution, Thermal Power Thermal Flux Date of (n/cm2-s) Reactor Location (kW)
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Several civilian reactors pose substantive technical challenges to conversion, such as reactors using fuel pins consisting of UO2 dispersed in a copper-beryllium matrix with stainless steel cladding designed to operate at significantly higher fuel temperatures than most research reactors. 22 Not including naval or other defense-related reactors.
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of Nuclear 15,000 4/22/1966 Mat., Zarechny 5.0 × 1014 MIR.M1 RIAR, 100,000 12/26/1966 Dmitrovgrad 8.4 × 1012 OP-M Kurchatov, 300 12/1/1989 Moscow 4.0 × 1015 PIK Petersburg 100,000 Under Nuclear Physics construction Institute continued
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. REPORT ROADMAP The symposium featured a range of briefings from R.F., U.S., and international experts on policy, science, and engineering issues relevant to the conversion of research reactors from HEU fuel to LEU fuel.
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2011. Regulating Safe Operation of Russian Research Reactors.
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