Nuclear Magnox

Table 1 contains technical data for the newer plants of the Magnox and AGR type. These are operated in the United Kingdom by Nuclear Electric pic. The electrical power output of the AGR is almost three times that of the Magnox, whereas its core volume is less than half as large. 

MCB MCC MINEQL MOX MSWI p,-SXRF MW Microwave burn-out Materials Characterization Center Mineral equilibria (computer program) Mixed-oxide (fuel) Municipal solid waste incinerator Synchrotron-based X-ray microfluorescence Magnox waste glass (British Nuclear Fuel Public Ltd. Company)... 

Responsibility for commercial reactor fuel storage rests with British Nuclear Fuels pic as the current owner of the Magnox NPPs and Sellafield, and British Energy owner of the AGR NPPs and the Sizewell PWR. The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) has responsibility for naval fuel. 

Based on these considerations and the experience from operation of the Windscale Piles, storage in deep water filled pools was adopted for the early Magnox fuel. This storage philosophy was also adopted by the British electricity generating utilities for the majority of their commercial nuclear power stations. 

Plutonium-242 and Americium-243 Pu-242 and Am-243 are produced in fuel by multiple nuclear reactions. They therefore appear in items contaminated by fuel. They were found to exceed the GQ limit in HNA and HPA MCI and HPA SPF waste (high uncertainty). In addition in IX resins at HPA and HNA, Am-243 was above the GQ. Neither of these radionuclides are currently analysed in Magnox wastes because they are used as yield tracers in other analyses. To measure these two radionuclides, it is possible to simply repeat the current analyses for Pu and Am with and without tracers. No development work should be required. It has been possible to use these isotopes as tracers because the amount present (in terms of activity) is very low. FISPIN predicts the following radioisotope ratios in fresh waste Am-241 to Am-234 of 111 to 1 and Pu-239/-240 to Pu-242 of 2,500 to 1. At these activity levels, it may be more accurate to estimate the activities rather than measure them. 

The most important fuel for currently operated nuclear power stations (mainly light-water reactors) is - U-enriched uranium(IV) oxide. Also of importance are metallic uranium for the Magnox reactors and a few research reactors and uranium-plutonium mixed oxides for light-water reactors. Fuel production comprises extraction and dressing of uranium ores to uranium concentrates, conversion into UF, the uranium compound used for enrichment of the BSy.jjjotope, enrichment of and production of fuel from enriched UF5 (reconversion). 

After an initial failed attempt to privatize nuclear power with the rest of the British electricity industry in 1990, the government put the nuclear stations into two state-owned companies. Nuclear Electric for the English and Welsh stations, and Scottish Nuclear for the Scottish stations. In 1995 the more modern advanced gas cooled reactor (AGR) stations plus the new pressurized water reactor (PWR) at Sizewell were privatized in the form of a new company, British Energy pic. The older Magnox reactors were retained in a company called Magnox Electric. 

British Nuclear Fuels pic (BNFL) provide a complete nuclear fuel cycle service with its sites at Springfields (AGR/Magnox Fuel Fabrication) near Preston and Sellafield (MOX Fuel Fabrication and Reprocessing) in Cumbria. BNFL also generates electricity using Magnox Reactors at Sellafield (Calder Hall) and Chaplecross in Scotland. This paper provides an overview of the Windscale Vitrification Plant (WVP) and reviews the major safety issues associated with vitrification operations. The practicalities of vitrification of Pu using the current WVP process are briefly discussed. 

Hie first nuclear power station Calder HaM, is a 4x50 MW(a) Ma ox type. Besides Calder and its sister station Chapelcross. Britain has nine twin reactor stations of this type. Two further stations were built overseas, one in Italy and one in Japan. Total Magnox capacity in the UK is 4000 MW(e). 

Nuclear Power course on nuclear and reactor physics, followed by a 6-8 week conrse of detailed information on the plant for familiarisation. Distinctions are made between Magnox and the AGR stations in this course. 

Magnox A group of magnesium alloys used to enclose uranium fuel elements in nuclear reactors. They usually contain some aluminium as well as other elements, such as beryllium. 

Haines N.E, Clayton R., Internal inspection of Magnox Nuclear Reactors, Proceedings of the symposium on inspection of nuclear reactors, British Institute of N.D.T. (1979). 

Ultrasonic recording and display techniques for Magnox gas duct inspections" (1984) BNES Conference on Nuclear Reactor Inspection 1-2 October 1984, Paper M4. 

Figure 6-3. United Kingdom Electricity Supply System Privatization of Non-Magnox Nuclear Reactors...

Fears over the effects of privatization on nuclear safety have been responsible for some of the concerns about electricity privatization. In 1995, the former director of safety at Scottish Nuclear, Richard Killick, claimed that Low morale, overworked operators, and the rush to reduce costs before privatization posed a threat of a significant reduction in safety [and that] privatization would erode safety culture (The Herald, 1993). Criticism of nuclear safety was also leveled against Nuclear Electric following an incident at the Wylfa Twin Magnox Power Stations in 1993 (Safety Management, 1995). In this incident, reactor operation was allowed to continue even though safety had clearly been compromised. However, Nuclear Electric denied that commercial considerations played any part in the decision to defer shutdown. 

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