Year
1970
Abstract
The concept of utilizing the information inherent in the isotopic composition of irradiated nuclear fuels as a safeguards tool has been investigated under a program entitled \"Evaluation of Minor Isotope Safeguards Techniques (MIST) in Reactor Fuel Reprocessing\". This program is also known as the Yankee Core Experiment and as the FT-62 Experiment. Data for various MIST studies performed during the FT-62 Experiment were based primarily upon chemical and physical (especially mass spectrometric) measurements of samples col- lected during the reprocessing of Yankee Reactor cores V and VI by the Nuclear Fuel Services, Corp., West Valley, N.Y., chemical plant in the summer of 1969. The studies showed a substantial improvement in the prediction of Pu/U conversion during burnup and that it is possible to relate the isotopic composition of spent fuel to a specific reactor (core \"finger- printing\") . The studies also showed that a digital model of a batch-continuous reprocessing operation has utility in cer- tain safeguards problems and that routine industrial analytical measurements are generally acceptable for MIST safeguard appli- cations.