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DOE OSTI · 1891922

Sodium Extraction from Full-Length Fermi-1 Blanket Assembly

Preussner, Brian D·Herrmann, Steven D·Campbell, Rodney C·DiSanto, Tom·Charboneau, Joey A·Hobbs, Ian M
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Abstract

Enrico Fermi Nuclear Generating Station is a nuclear power plant on the shore of Lake Erie. On October 5, 1966, Fermi 1, a prototype fast breeder reactor, suffered a partial fuel meltdown (no radioactive material was released). As a result, 34 metric tons of sodium-bonded blanket material from the decommissioned Fermi-1 reactor were shipped to and are currently stored at the Idaho Nation Lab (INL). This material is currently awaiting removal from the state of Idaho by 2035. In its current state, the Fermi-1 material is not suitable for disposal due to the reactive characteristic of its bond sodium. This work demonstrates removal of bond sodium from an entire full-length unirradiated Fermi-1 outer radial blanket assembly using a gravity assisted melt-drain-evaporate (MEDE) treatment process. Quantitative and qualitative analyses were performed to characterize the extent of sodium removal from the blanket material following MEDE treatment.

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11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALSBond SodiumFermi-1 Blanket MaterialMelt-Drain-Evaporate

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Preussner, Brian D, Herrmann, Steven D, Campbell, Rodney C, DiSanto, Tom, Charboneau, Joey A, Hobbs, Ian M. 2022-06-16. Sodium Extraction from Full-Length Fermi-1 Blanket Assembly. https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1891922

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