Storage and disposition of weapons usable fissile materials (FMD) PEIS: Blending of U-233 to {lt}12% or {lt}5% enrichment at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory. Data report, Draft: Version 1

Uranium-233 (U-233), a uranium isotope, is a fissionable material capable of fueling nuclear reactors or being utilized in the manufacturing of nuclear weapons. As such, it is controlled as a special nuclear material. The Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL) and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) currently store the Department of Energy`s (DOE`s) supply of unirradiated U-233 fuel materials. Irradiated U-233 is covered by the national spent nuclear fuel (SNF) program and is not in the scope of this report. The U-233 stored at ORNL is relatively pure uranium oxide in the form of powder or monolithic solids. This material is currently stored in stainless steel canisters of variable lengths measuring about 3 inches in diameter. The ORNL material enrichment varies with some material containing considerable amounts of U-235. The INEL material is fuel from the Light Water Breeder Reactor (LWBR) Program and consists of enriched uranium and thorium oxides in zircaloy cladding. The DOE inventory of U-233 contains trace quantities of U-232, and daughter products from the decay of U-232 and U-233, resulting in increased radioactivity over time. These increased levels of radioactivity generally result in the need for special handling considerations.