Advanced Nuclear Power - AREVA

Nuclear FuelNuclear Fuel"Swords Into Plowshares"Becomes A RealityFramatome ANP Helps the USGovernment Convert UraniumStockpiles Into Low EnrichedFuel for Commercial ReactorsThe end of the Cold War posed anominous question: What should bedone with stockpiles of excess highlyenriched fissile material from nuclearweapons programs? To strategic plannersin the nuclear industry, theanswer was clear: downblend thematerial to lower enrichments for usein commercial nuclear power plants,thus realizing the vision of turning"swords into plowshares" by puttingthe material to use as a valuable energysource.This vision is becoming reality.The US Department of Energy(DOE), Tennessee Valley Authority(TVA), Nuclear Fuel Services, Inc.(NFS), and Framatome ANP recentlysigned agreements to process 33metric tons of highly enriched uraniumto lower enrichments for use infuel assemblies for TVA's nuclearpower plants.Program BackgroundAs a result of non-proliferation agreementsbetween the US and Russia, theUS government declared 175 metrictons of highly enriched uranium(HEU) from the nuclear weapons programsurplus in 1995. 1 Much of thisuranium is "commercial grade" andcan be used in commercial nuclearreactors as low enriched uranium(LEU) without further processing. 2About 40 metric tons was not "commercialgrade" and therefore requiresspecial processing prior to use.Preparing an LEU fuel assembly for shipment to SequoyahDOE issued a Disposition ofSurplus Highly Enriched UraniumFinal Environmental ImpactStatement (EIS) in 1996 that consideredalternatives for disposition of thesurplus HEU, including the “off-specification”material. The Record ofDecision that was issued in conjunctionwith the EIS stated that the surplusHEU would be made nonweapons-usableby down-blending itto LEU, and to the extent practicable,its economic value should be recoveredby using the LEU as reactor fuel. In1997, DOE and TVA signed aMemorandum of Understanding topursue a joint program to investigatethe use of 33 of the 40 metric tons ofoff-spec HEU as a source of lowenriched uranium for TVA’s reactors.TVA then solicited proposals fromprospective bidders for converting theHEU to useable forms, downblendingit into LEU, and processing the LEUinto fuel assemblies.In 1998, TVA selected a consortiumof Framatome Cogema Fuels,Siemens Power Corporation, and NFSas the successful bidder. FramatomeCogema Fuels and Siemens PowerCorporation have since been mergedinto Framatome ANP. In 1999, theconsortium designed and manufacturedfour lead test assemblies thatwere loaded into TVA's Sequoyahnuclear station. The fuel has operatedsuccessfully for one cycle, thus verifyingthe fuel design as well as the uraniumconversion and fabrication operations.In April 2001, TVA andFramatome ANP signed long-termcontracts for manufacturing LEU fuelderived from the HEU material. Thecontracts, which call for the fuel to beused either in TVA's Browns Ferry orSequoyah nuclear plants, include thedesign, construction, operation, anddecommissioning of facilities dedicatedto the program. Said Jack Bailey,Vice President, Engineering andTechnical Services, TVA, " We arepleased that this program has finallybecome a reality and appreciate thelong term support and patienceFramatome ANP has provided in overcomingthe numerous issues."Program Workscope andScheduleDOE will supply HEU in three formsfrom its Oak Ridge, Tennessee, andSavannah River, South Carolina, sites -liquid uranyl nitrate, uranium metal,and uranium-aluminum alloy.Conversion and downblending of thematerial to LEU solutions will be performedat the Savannah River facilityand the NFS facility in Erwin,Tennessee. The LEU solutions willthen be converted to UO 2 powder at anew facility to be constructed byFramatome ANP on the Erwin site.Framatome ANP will process the UO 2power into fuel pellets in a dedicatedfacility to be constructed at itsRichland, Washington site. The fuelassemblies will be fabricated at theRichland or Lynchburg facility. WhileDOE refers to this as the "HEUProject," Framatome ANP refers to itas the "BLEU Project," where BLEUstands for blended low-enriched uranium,because Framatome ANP onlyhandles and supplies LEU.The work officially started April10, 2001 with the formal signing ofthe contract and will extend over a 15year period. The new conversion andpelletizing facilities located at Erwinand Richland respectively, will bedesigned and constructed from2001-2004. Pellet production andfuel assembly fabrication will commencein late 2004 and continue forabout ten years. When downblended,the 33 metric tons of HEU will produceabout 475 metric tons of LEU,enough for about 12-14 fuel reloads.@Program Benefits• Permanent reduction of the USand Russian stockpiles ofweapons-usable fissile material, acritical milestone in reducing theglobal threat of nuclear weapons• HEU material will be put to productiveuse as fuel in TVA's commercialreactors, thus reducingTVA's fuel costs and producingelectricity at reduced rates to consumers• The DOE will save a large percentageof the cost of disposing ofHEU material, a savings conservativelyestimated by TVA to be inexcess of $500 millionThe program serves as a modelfor future disposition of additionalweapons-grade material1HEU is uranium enriched20wt% 235 U or greater.2LEU is uranium enrichedto less than 20wt% 235 U.24 Advanced Nuclear Power 08/200108/2001 Advanced Nuclear Power 25