Disposal of Weapon Plutonium

This NATO Advanced Research Workshop on Disposal of Weapons Plutonium is a follow-up event to two preceding workshops, each dealing with a special subject within the overall disarmament issue: "Disposition of Weapon Plutonium", sponsored by the NATO Science Committee. The first workshop of this series was held at the Royal Institute of International Affairs in London on 24-25 January 1994, entitled "Managing the Plutonium Surplus, Applications, and Options". Its over all goal was to clarify the current situation with respect to pluto nium characteristics and availability, the technical options for use or disposal, and their main technical, environmental, and economic constraints. In the immediate term, plutonium recovered from dismantled nuclear warheads will have to be stored securely, and under international safeguards if possible. In the intermediate term, the principal alter natives for disposition of this plutonium are: irradiation in mixed oxide (MOX) fuel assemblies in existing commercial light-water reac tors or in specially adapted light-water reactors capable of operation with full cores of MOX fuel .and irradiation in future fast reactors. Another option is to blend plutonium with high-level waste as it is vitrified for final disposal in a geologic repository. In both cases, the high radioactivity of the resulting products provides "self shielding" and prevents separation of plutonium without already developed and available sophisticated technology. The so-called "spent fuel standard" as an effective protection barrier is - quired in either case.

Autorentext
Carl E. Walter is a Managing Director of JP Morgan and Chief Operating Officer of its China businesses. Prior to joining JP Morgan in 2001, Mr. Walter was a Managing Director and member of the Management Committee of China International Capital Corporation. He was Chief Representative in Beijing for Credit Suisse First Boston from 1993-8. During his decade in China, Mr. Walter has participated in a number of pathbreaking international and domestic share listings and debt issues for Chinese companies, banks and the Ministry of Finance. He holds a PhD from Stanford University and a graduate certificate from Beijing University.

Zusammenfassung
Proceedings of the NATO Advanced Research Workshop, St. Petersburg, Russia, May 14-17, 1995

Inhalt
SESSION 1: SAFE DISPOSAL OF WEAPONS PLUTONIUM.- 1. Weapons Plutonium Management: The Present Situation, the Methods and the Prospects.- 2. Retrievability and Safeguards Concerns Regarding Plutonium in Geological Repositories.- 3. Multibarriers: Their Efficacy Against Intentional Intrusion into a Geological Repository to Retrieve Disposed Plutonium.- 4. Prospects for Using Plutonium as a Fuel in Russia.- 5. Plutonium Handling and Vitrification: Main Process Steps and their Cost Evaluation.- SESSION 2: PRODUCT FORMS.- 6. Dissolution of Materials Containing Metal Plutonium and Oxidized Forms of Plutonium.- 7. Crystalline Ceramics: Waste Forms for the Disposal of Weapons Plutonium.- 8. The Crystalline Host-Phases for Immobilization of Weapons Plutonium and Waste Actinides.- 9. On the Long-Term Storage of Weapons Plutonium in Form of Criticality-Free Ceramics Containing Lithium.- 10. Incorporation of Pu and other Actinides in Borosilicate Glass and in Waste Ceramics.- 11. Feasibility of Rock-Like Fuel and Glass Waste Form for Disposal of Weapons Plutonium.- 12. Possible Ways of the Weapon Plutonium Processing to Produce the Steady Glass Materials Suitable for Further Safe Disposal.- 13. Management of Operational Waste from MOX Fuel Plants.- SESSION 3: VITRIFICATION TECHNOLOGY.- 14. SRS Vitrification Studies in Support of the U.S. Program for Disposition of Excess Plutonium.- 15. On the Feasibility of Vitrifying High-Level Liquid Waste Containing High Amounts of Plutonium.- 16. Vitrification of Weapons Plutonium: A Hypothetic Option or a Real Way to Solve the Problem?.- 17. Vitrification of Plutonium for Disposal.- 18. French Appraisal of the Vitrification Option. Weapons Plutonium - or how to get rid of it!.- 19. Safety Aspects with Regard to Plutonium Vitrification Techniques.- SESSION 4: DISPOSAL IN DEEP BOREHOLES.- 20. Disposition of Radionuclides in Deep Geological Formations either in Containers or Vitrified Form.- 21. Disposition of Plutonium in Deep Boreholes.- SESSION 5: LONG-TERM SAFETY ASPECTS.- 22. The Process of the Equipment and Room Surface Pu-Decontamination and Means to Prevent their Contamination.- 23. Technical Basis for Pu Safeguards Practices, Handling and Disposal, PERLA and TAME Experiences.- 24. Long-Term Safety Aspects of Geological Disposal of Large Quantities of Plutonium.- MPC&A for Plutonium Disposition in the Russian Federation.- 6: SUMMARY OF WORKSHOP PRESENTATIONS.- 7: NATO WORKSHOP SUMMARY EVALUATION.