A review of fire hazards and fire protection concerns of commercial fuel cycle facilities in the United States

Abstract

Fuel cycle facilities constitute a basic industry that provides uranium fuel for the generation of electricity in nuclear power plants. Processes carried out in these facilities range from milling and extraction of uranium oxide concentrates from the uranium ore, conversion of the mill concentrates to uranium hexafluoride, enrichment, and fuel fabrication, to spent fuel reprocessing. The hazard of accidental fire and the potential for consequential release of radioactive material, as well as of toxic chemicals, exist at several steps of the manufacturing processes. Conventional fire protection measures, when applied to enriched uranium facilities, must be tempered by the consideration of avoidance of accidental nuclear critically and by requirements of treatment and filtration of plant effluents, including those generated by fire. This paper examines the facilities and the processes involved in nuclear fuel production, that are currently regulated by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), from the point of view of fire protection. The NRC, at this time, does not regulate fuel enrichment or reprocessing facilities. However, most of the comments contained herein may be generally applicable to all fuel cycle facilities.