Abstracts and Available Papers Presented at the
2005 International RERTR Meeting

MONOLITHIC FUEL PLATES DIFFUSION BONDED BY  ELECTROCONSOLIDATION® PROCESS TECHNOLOGY*

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES OF ISTC PROJECT # 3128 “USING LOW-ENRICHMENT URANIUM IN VNIIEF PULSED NUCLEAR REACTORS”

V.P. Dubinin, A.M. Voinov, M.A. Voinov, V.F. Kolesov
Russian Federal Nuclear Center-VNIIEF, Mira 37, 607188, Sarov, Russia

ABSTRACT

At present All-Russian Scientific Research Institute of Experimental Physics (VNIIEF) operates six unique aperiodic pulse nuclear reactors. The peculiarity of these facilities is in their rather compact core and high-enrichment fuel (90 % of ²³⁵U). Practically null burnup and null fission product buildup in operation, as well as relatively low residual background radiation, make these facilities attractive for terrorists from the viewpoint of stealing the strategic fission materials suitable for manufacturing low-power nuclear charges. The authors of this paper and ISTC project # 3128 share the objectives of the RERTR program and propose to consider the possibility of reducing the enrichment of fuel used in the VNIIEF facilities.

The theoretical, design and technological studies on developing the neutron- and gamma-radiation sources based on the pulse nuclear reactors equipped with uranium-graphite and uranyl sulphate aqueous solution (UO₂SO₄) fuel enriched by 20 % are intended being carried out under the project. The characteristics of radiation to be produced in the facilities to be designed should be similar to those of high-enrichment facilities.

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