A study was made of the processes available for fabrication of plutonium-containing fuel from a fast ceramic reacter, and for chemical reprocessing of irradiated fuel. Radiations from recycled plutonium are evaluated. Adaptation of conventional glove-box handling procedures to the fabrication of recycle plutonium appears practical. It is concluded that acceptable costs are obtainable using moderate extensions of conventional glove- box fabrication methods and wet processing techniques, provided a significant volume of production is available. The minimum economic scale for the preferred chemical reprocessing method, anion exchange, is about 500 Mw(e) of reactor capacity. The minimum scale of economic operation for the fuel refabrication facility corresponds to three 500 Mw(e) reactors, if only steady-state refueling provides the fabrication load. The minimum volume required falls to one 500 Mw(e) reactor, if the continued growth of capacity provides fabrication volume equal to that for refueling. The chemical reprocessing costs obtained range from 0.27 mills/kwh for 1500 Mw(e) of reactor capacity, to 0.10 mills/kwh for 3000 Mw(e) of capacity. The estimated fuel fabrication cost is l/kg of uranium and plutonium in the core region (excluding axial and radial blankets) or .06/ g of plutonium content, When axial blankets, fabricated in the same rods, are included; the combined average is 34/kg of uranium and plutonium. Radial blanket fabrication cost is /kg of uranium. The overall average of all fuel and blankets is /kg of uranium and plutonium. The fabrication cost is 0.29 mills/kwh for a production rate corresponding to 3000 Mw(e) of capacity (or 1500 Mw(e) of capacity plus growth equivalent to one additional reactor core per year). For one 525 Mw(e) reactor, (plus equivalent growth volume) the fabrication cost becomes 0.42 mills/ kwh. (All fuel throughputs are based on fuel life of 100,000 MWD/T.) Using the estimates developed, the total fuel cycle cost for a typical fast reactor design using PuO2UO2 fuel is estimated to be about 0.9 mills/kwh. (auth).

The reactors around the world have produced more than 2000 tonnes of plutonium, contained in spent fuel or as separated forms through reprocessing. Disposition of fissile materials has become a primary concern of nuclear non-proliferation efforts worldwide. There is a significant interest in IAEA Member States to develop proliferation resistant nuclear fuel cycles for incineration of plutonium such as inert matrix fuels (IMFs). This publication reviews the status of potential IMF candidates and describes several identified candidate materials for both fast and thermal reactors: MgO, ZrO2, SiC, Zr alloy, SiAl, ZrN; some of these have undergone test irradiations and post irradiation examination. Also discussed are modelling of IMF fuel performance and safety analysis. System studies have identified strategies for both implementation of IMF fuel as homogeneous or heterogeneous phases, as assemblies or core loadings and in existing reactors in the shorter term, as well as in new reactors in the longer term.