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A major feature of the DMSR is the relative unavailabil2ty of special
nuclear material (SM) that might be diverted and converted into strategic
special nuclear material (S%NM) for use in the production of nuclear ex-
plosive devices.
there would never be any subunits (e8gos fuel elements) that would be par-
ticularly enriched in a given "desirable" material or depleted with re-
spect to specific contaminants. IR addition, because the initial fuel
charge as well as all makeup fuel would be denatured 235U and because
"spentr8 fuel would not be XXTIIO'T~~ .from the primary co~~taiment except dur-
ing decommissioning at the end of reactor life, the accessibility sf even
the mixed fueh would be severely restricted. Postulating ways of obtain-
ing SSM from any mixture containing fissile nuclides is always possible,
but, in the case of the DMSR, these appear to involve special difficulties
as well low prsauctivity,
Because all the fuel would be in a bonogeneous fluid,
3.7.1 Potential sources of SSMM
Mter the first few years of power operation," the principal fissile
nuclide in a DMSR would be 233U with
substantial amount of 235U. HOW-
ever, both nuclides would remain fully denatured during the entire opera-
tion. Thus s af ter diversion alad Separation from other CkaelD?Cd. speC%@s
(many of which would be highly radioactive), the fissile uranium would
still have to be subjected to an isotope enrichment process to produce
SSNM. other isotopic contaminants in the uranium, notably 232~s would
tend to make tklis a difficult approach.
Tne next m~st abundant fissile material in DMSR fuel salt would be
plutonim, w$th a maximum t~tal-plant fnventory (at end of plant life) of
334 kg of 239Pu -k 241Pu. However, this material would also contain 182 kg
of 242h and 1.39 kg of 240~u, which wuid tend to detract from its value
*
Initially, the dominant fissile nuclei would be 23'~ denatured
with 238~, but because this mixture presumably would be an item of international
comerce, the DMSR would not represent a particularly attractive
source of supply.