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).

Fast Breeder Reactors presents the proceedings of the London Conference on Fast Breeder Reactors organized by the British Nuclear Energy Society on May 17-19, 1966. The book covers topics about the place of the fast breeder reactor in the energy programs (including fuel cycles), operating experience with fast reactors; the design of fast reactor prototypes and power reactors (including advanced concepts with coolants other than sodium); fast reactor physics; and fuel technology. The text also describes topics about sodium technology and engineering of fast reactors and provides definitions of fast reactor breeding and inventory. Civil engineers will find the book useful.