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DOE nuclear cleanup costs, schedule delays continue to rise, GAO says
The Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management faces significant cost increases, schedule delays, and data management issues in completing nuclear waste cleanup projects, according to a new report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office.
Emile Vanden Bemden
Nuclear Technology | Volume 53 | Number 2 | May 1981 | Pages 186-195
Technical Paper | Realistic Estimates of the Consequences of Nuclear Accident / Nuclear Fuel | doi.org/10.13182/NT81-A32623
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
This paper briefly describes the present situation in the field of plutonium fuel production and explains concepts used by Belgonucleaire to develop technology and production processes for application by the mid-1980s. Of particular interest is the COGEPEL process developed by the company. It consists of pelletizing gelified mixed-oxide microspheres. The microspheres are sufficiently large and strong to virtually eliminate dust formation. In fuels produced by conventional processes, the formation of large quantities of gamma-emitting dust presents a serious contamination problem. The introduction of the new process should improve the overall safety of the plutonium industry.