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Content archived on 2023-01-04

Operation of the PETRA Facility

Objective

To verify and validate experimentally at full activity levels on a pre-industrial scale the procedures and conditioning methods potentially suitable to minimise waste arisings and separate short or long-lived radionuclides e.g. by combining waste streams or separation of particular fractions like Cs/Sr, Rh, Tc, Np and other actinides.

Progress to end 1990

Functional testing and commissioning have continued, identifying the critical areas for increased performance and plant flexibility, taking into account customer requirements, in particular the specifications proposed by ENEA for cell 4305 in the frame of the existing collaboration contract. As foreseen, the mixer-settlers (plexiglas) have been changed to ones made in stainless steel. All these new mixer-settlers have been tested inactively with cerium under the typical process flow conditions foreseen. maintenance contract was established with three companies to implement the modifications (mechanical/electrical/instrumentation). Indirectly associated with PETRA has been the necessity to clean and decontaminate under contract the two cells (4411/4304) adjacent to the PETRA installation. These cells house the nuclear fuel chopping machine which has been designed, tested in-house successfully and patented. The analytical hot-box has been commissioned together with the pneumatic link-up with the radiochestry building. The Technical Commission of the Italian Regulatory Authority have finally given their approval to all the documents submitted for the license of the PETRA facility. The computerised process control system has been updated, tested and made operational. Training of JRC personnel has been a continuous exercise. The safety limits for accepting fuel material with higher U-235 enrichment or high Pu content has been determined due to the possibility of handling such non-standard fuel material in e future.

Detailed description of work foreseen in 1991 (expected results)

- Completion of plant modifications (Feb 91)

- Completion of licensing iter (documentation, testing of safety relevant units and combined tests (June 91)

- Reference waste matrices (borosilicate glass) will be prepared incorporating HAW from high burn-up LWR type fuel: 2 campaigns or alternatively 1 campaign and then:

.Treatment of MTR type waste conforming to ENEA's requirements.

Short description of evolution of work in 1992 Continuation of evaluation and testing of radioactive waste management alternatives, particularly on actinide partitioning and the testing of new solvent extractants which are more selective. Preparation of waste package "standards" for NDA instrumentation performance and calibration testing. 2

Topic(s)

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Call for proposal

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Funding Scheme

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Coordinator

Joint Research Centre (JRC)
EU contribution
No data
Address

21020 Ispra
Italy

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Total cost
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