US depleted uranium conversion underway

30 January 2019


The US Department of Energy's Office of Environmental Management (EM) has converted 5110 tonnes of depleted uranium hexafluoride (DUF6) to a more stable form from October to December 2018, following return to service of all seven uranium conversion production lines.

This is more than half its yearly target of 9000 tonnes for fiscal 2019 (1 October 2018 to 30 September 2019). All seven production lines at EM’s Ohio and Kentucky facilities have restarted operation after several pauses for safety and maintenance work, as well as upgrades and improvements.

The DOE's 800,000-tonne inventory of DUF6 is the legacy of more than 60 years of operations at its former gaseous diffusion uranium enrichment plants at Portsmouth, Ohio and Paducah, Kentucky, which supplied enriched uranium for the nuclear weapons programmes and later for the commercial nuclear industry. The Portsmouth plant was closed in 2001 and Paducah in 2013.

The construction and operation of the DUF6 Conversion plants were mandated by the US Congress.  The facilities convert stored DUF6 to depleted uranium oxide, which is more chemically stable for future storage, re-use or disposal. A byproduct of the process, hydrofluoric acid, can be used industrially. Since the facilities were commissioned in 2010, they have converted more than 70,000 tonnes of the DOE's inventory. Portsmouth's DUF6 inventory is expected to be processed in about 18 years and Paducah's inventory within 30 years. The inventory totals more than 740,000 tonnes.

Since February 2017, Mid-America Conversion Services LLC (MCS) has been the contractor for the operation of both facilities at the Paducah and Portsmouth Sites. From 2010 until February 2017, BWXT Conversion Services, LLC was the operations contractor.

There is local concern at Piketon and Paducah that, so far, no provision has been made for the depleted uranium oxide, which is currently being stored at the conversion facilities. In December 2018, DOE issued a draft supplement environmental impact statement (SEIS) for the disposition of depleted uranium oxide conversion product.  The purpose is to identify and analyse alternatives for the disposition of DU oxide. “If a beneficial use cannot be found for the DU oxide, all or a portion of the inventory may need to be disposed of,” DOE said.  The scope of the SEIS is to analyse the potential impacts from taking action, or a no action alternative. Under the action alternatives, DU oxide would be disposed of at one or more of three US disposal facilities:
(1) the EnergySolutions LLC site near Clive, Utah;
(2) the Nevada National Security Site in Nye County, Nevada; and
(3) the Waste Control Specialists, LLC site near Andrews, Texas.

Under the No Action Alternative, transportation and disposal would not occur, and DU oxide containers would remain in storage at Paducah and Portsmouth. There is a 45-day public comment period until 11 February 2019.  

 



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