THE NUCLEAR MATERIALS AND FUEL MANAGEMENT PROGRAM FOR THE DRESDEN NUCLEAR POWER STATION

The purpose of this paper is to describe in considerable detail the program which has been developed by the General Electric Company, with the cooperation of the Commonwealth Edison Company, for nuclear material accountability and fuel management for the Dresden Nuclear Power Station. This paper will attempt to describe the program presently in effect and the events and experiences which led to development of this program. There has been a considerable effort devoted to nuclear materials management and accountability within both the General Electric and the Commonwealth Edison Companies. However, of necessity, this work has often been developmental because Dresden is the first truly private nuclear power plant ever to be placed in service, and the nature of the nuclear materials management and accounting problems were not fully appreciated by either company until the reactor was placed in service. A nuclear mate'rials management and accounting program was developed through the excellent cooperation of both companies, and has undergone a continual process of revision, again due to the newness of the problems. The discussion which follows is a description of the evolution of the program which was developed for the Dresden Nuclear Power Station. General Electric has developed the general codes and techniques necessary for fuel accounting and fuel management, and similar programs will be instituted for the other General Electric built power reactors.