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Current Status of and Progress toward Eliminating Highly Enriched Uranium Use in Fuel for Civilian Research and Test Reactors

Completed

The continued presence of highly enriched uranium (HEU) in civilian installations such as research reactors poses a threat to national and international security. This report assesses the status of and progress toward eliminating the worldwide use of HEU fuel in civilian research and test reactors.

Description

An ad hoc committee will conduct a study and prepare a report with findings and recommendations on the current status of and progress toward eliminating highly enriched uranium (HEU) use in fuel for civilian research and test reactors. This study will provide

  1. A list of civilian research and test reactors that operate using HEU fuel.
  2. A review of civilian research and test reactor status over the past five years, including new HEU-fueled reactors that were planned, under construction, or commissioned; HEU-fueled reactors that were shut down and/or decommissioned; and HEU-fueled reactors that were converted to low enriched uranium (LEU).
  3. An assessment of the progress being made by the Department of Energy and others to eliminate worldwide use of HEU in fuel for civilian research and test reactors. This assessment should identify key technical and nontechnical factors responsible for the successful conversion of reactors from HEU to LEU fuel; key obstacles to converting the remaining HEU-fueled reactors; and steps that could be taken to overcome the identified obstacles.

Contributors

Committee

Chair

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

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Conflict of Interest Disclosure

NOTE (01-16-2015): The additional committee member, Alexander V. Bychkov, has been added in response to the committee's request to add a Russian research reactor expert.

Committee Membership Roster Comments

NOTE (01-16-2015): There has been a change in committee membership with the addition of Dr. Alexander V. Bychkov.

Dr. Alexander Bychkov of Rosatom resigned effective April 6, 2015.

Sponsors

Department of Energy

Staff

Jennifer Heimberg

Lead

Darlene M Gros

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