SDA Vol. 5 No. 4| The process for fabricating MOX fuel from weapons plutonium has different characteristics than the process that uses plutonium derived from a commercial reprocessing plant. Commercial PUREX (Plutonium-Uranium Extraction) reprocessing is generally arranged to yield plutonium in the form of an oxide as an end product (see SDA Vol. 5 No. 1). This plutonium dioxide powder can be mixed directly with uranium dioxide to make the mixed oxide that is fabricated into fuel pellets.
Plutonium pits from dismantled warheads consist primarily of plutonium metal, which must be converted to an oxide before it can be made into MOX fuel. Moreover, gallium, which is an alloying material added to plutonium, must be removed and the plutonium converted into an oxide form prior to MOX fuel fabrication (see article on gallium). Other constituents of plutonim pits, which are still classified, must also be removed. Plutonium dioxide suitable for MOX can be obtained from metal pits by currently-available aqueous processes. These involve dissolving plutonium pits in acid, processing the liquids to separate various constituents, and finally, processing the separated plutonium to form plutonium dioxide powder, usable for MOX fabrication.
 Aqueous processes, however, produce large quantities of liquid radioactive wastes. One process involving nitric and oxalic acids would, for instance, generate well over half a million of gallons of such wastes per 30 metric tons of plutonium converted into oxide form. Dry processes can greatly reduce waste streams, but they have yet to be demonstrated beyond the laboratory scale. (The article on gallium has more information on these processes.) |
Currently in Operation | |||
| Year operation began | Capacity (metric tons/yr.) | Operator | |
|---|---|---|---|
| MOX fabrication facility, Cadarache, France | 1963 | 15 | Commissariat à l' Energie Atomique (CEA) |
| Dessel Plant, Dessel, Belgium | 1973 | 35 | Belgonucléaire |
| Melox Plant, Marcoule, France | 1994 | 115 | Cogéma |
| MOX fabrication plant, Sellafield, Britain | Start-up planned for 1997 | 120 | British Nuclear Fuels, Limited (BNFL) |
| Adapted from Yurika Ayukawa, "Fissile Material Disposition and Civil Use of Plutonium," Yurika's E-Mail Pu Update, Issue No. 2, October 3, 1996. | |||
in Using MOX Fuel and/or Producing Tritium | ||
| Utility | Reactor(s) | |
| Arizona Public Service Company* | Palo Verde Unit 1, 2, and 3 | |
| Centerior Energy (OH)* | Perry1 | |
| Duke Power Co. (NC, SC) and Commonwealth Edison Co. (IL) | McGuire Unit 1 and 2, Catawba Unit 1 and 2, Braidwood Unit 1 and 2, Byron Unit 1 and 2, LaSalle County Unit 1 and 2 | |
| Entergy Operations Inc. (MS, LA) | Grand Gulf Nuclear Station, River Bend Station | |
| Florida Power and Light Co.*2 | St. Lucie Unit 2 | |
| Georgia Power Co.* | Alvin W. Vogtle Unit 1 and 2 | |
| IES Utilities Inc. (IA) | Duane Arnold Energy Center | |
| Illinois Power Co.* | Clinton Power Station | |
| Niagara Mohawk Power Co. (NY)* | Nine Mile Point Unit 1 and 21 | |
| North Carolina Municipal Power Agency No. 1 and Piedmont Municipal Power Agency (SC)* | Catawba Unit 2 | |
| PECO Energy Co. (PA) | Limeric Unit 1 and 2, Peach Bottom Unit 2 and 3 | |
| Southern Nuclear Operating Co. (AL) | Joseph M. Farley Unit 1 and 2 | |
| Tennessee Valley Authority (AL)* | Bellafonte Unit 1 and 23 | |
| Virginia Power*4 | North Anna Unit 1 and 2, Surry Unit 1 and 2 | |
| Wisconsin Public Service Co.* | Kewaunee | |
| Washington Public Power Supply System | WNP-2 | |
| Total: 18 reactor operators, 38 reactors. (Reactor operators listed together have been counted separately.) | ||
| NOTE: The list does not include utilities which may have expressed interest since this list was compiled. *Utilities also expressing interest in tritium production.
1. Boiling water reactors. DOE target design precludes consideration for tritium production. Source: US DOE | ||
Institute for Energy and Environmental Research