The different phases of the MOX fuel manufacturing MELOX plant start up

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OCDE/NEA FUEL CYCLE WORKSHOP TOKYO 2002

• The different phases of the MOX fuel
  manufacturing MELOX plant start up
•  
• The links between the authorisation process and
  the safety assessment
•  
•  
• By Jean-Pierre Carreton (IRSN) and Jean Jaraudias
  (DGSNR)

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MELOX plant start up

• Summary
• Introduction
• MELOX plant technical information
• MELOX history
• Creation
• Operation
• Modification
• Conclusion

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MELOX plant start up

• On the 17th of April 2000, the French
  Environment and Industry Ministers approved the
  industrial commissioning of the MOX fuel
  manufacturing MELOX plant. It followed an
  assessment of the final safety documents
  transmitted by the operator (safety report,
  general operating rules and emergency plan)
  carried out by the French nuclear safety and
  radioprotection authority (DGSNR) and its
  technical supports.

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MELOX plant start up

• The objective of this talk is to describe
  the plants commissioning authorisation process,
  carried out after the plant's design basis was
  transmitted by COGEMA in 1985.
• The different actors
• the operator COGEMA,
• the French nuclear safety authority the DGSNR,
• the technical supports which advise this
  authority the Radiation Protection and Nuclear
  Safety Institute (IRSN) and the Advisory
  Committee for the nuclear laboratories and
  industrial plants (GPU).

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MELOX plant start up

• MELOX plant some technical information
• The COGEMA-operated plant is located on the
  nuclear site of Marcoule in the south-east of
  France.
• It manufactures LWR MOX fuel assemblies using the
  MIMAS process (micronization of a master blend).
• First limited to the French market, it was
  extended in 1999 to the needs of foreign
  electricity companies by the start up of a new
  line for the manufacturing of different design
  fuel assemblies.

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MELOX plant start up
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MELOX plant start up
B500 manufacturing B501 waste treatment
Nuclear buildings
Non nuclear buildings
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MELOX plant start up

• The MELOX history could be divided in two phases
  
• a definition and design phase, characterised by
  the presentation and the analysis of
• the safety options,
• the preliminary safety report,
• thus leading to the plant creation authorization
  decree (DAC)
• the probatory operating phase, which started with
  a heavy test period, followed by the progressive
  increase of the production level, and recently
  ended with the industrial commissioning of the
  plant.

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MELOX plant start up
Creation
Operation
Releases
June 85 Safety options
1987 Preliminary studies
March 93 IRSNs assessment
May 90 Creation decree
June 93 Provisional safety report
June-July 93 Public inquiry
July 94 Release orders
August 94 operating authorisation
September 99 Final safety report
May 2000 Industrial commissioning
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MELOX plant start up
June 85 Safety options
November 87 Creation authorisation request
October 85 IRSNs assessment Advisory Committee
March 88 Preliminary safety report
March 88 Public inquiry
June 88 IRSNs assessment Advisory Committee
March 89 CIINB
May 90 Creation decree
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MELOX plant start up

• The MELOX plant authorisation decree limits
• the annual production of LWR fuel rods and
  assemblies to 115 tons of mixed oxide,
• the mass of plutonium oxide in the plant to 14
  tons,
• the 240 isotope and 241Am content of the
  plutonium used,
• - mentiones the main workshops
• the manufacturing building (n 500), including
  all the manufacturing equipment from the
  reception of the powder to the control and the
  shipping out of the final products,
• the waste management building (n 501),

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MELOX plant start up

• - requires various measures related to internal
  and external hazard control,
• - defines a set of rules for the administrative
  monitoring of the plant throughout its life in
  particular the transmission of
• a provisional safety report, general operating
  rules and an on-site emergency plan six months
  before radioactive materials are first delivered
  to the plant,
• a final safety report including the operational
  feed back and a time limit for the industrial
  commissioning of the facility (10 years).

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MELOX plant start up
May 91 New Preliminary safety report Waste
building
June 93 Provisional safety report
June 92 IRSNs assessment Advisory
Committee Waste Building
Mach 94 IRSNs assessment Advisory
Committee Manufacturing Building
June 95 IRSNs assessment Advisory
Committee Waste Building
August 94 Manufacturing building operating
authorisation
July 95 Waste building operating authorisation
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MELOX plant start up
September 99 Final safety report
April 2000 IRSNs assessment Advisory Committee
May 2000 Industrial commissioning
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MELOX plant start up

• Two main modifications have been implemented
• an extension of the manufacturing building to
  produce foreign customers fuels (PWR and BWR),
• the adaptation of the shipping workshop to the
  reception of new transportation casks (MX8).

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MELOX plant start up

• Conclusions
• This creation authorisation process needed 15
  years and
• the transmission of several safety files by the
  licensee,
• the IRSNs assessment of this files and six
  meetings of the Advisory Committee,
• two proceedings, each including a public inquiry,
• numerous inspections carried out by the Safety
  Authority during the successive building, tests,
  starting up and operational phases,
• .

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MELOX plant start up
The five operating years feedback studied
emphasised that a satisfying control of the
hazards presented by the MELOX plant was
achieved. Nevertheless, the French Safety
Authority, according to its missions, keeps up a
sustained follow up of the plant, in particular
by mean of a specific inspection program. The
Authority also requests IRSNs assessments about
the different plant modifications, and a periodic
plant safety reassessment carried out usually
with a ten-year periodicity.