**Highly Enriched Uranium (HEU) Blend Down Program Description Package**

**Expectation:**

The HEU Blend Down Program at Savannah River Site (SRS) supports the
National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) multi-site Off Spec Fuel
Project managed by the Assistant Deputy Administrator for Fissile
Materials Disposition (NA-26). The mission of the HEU Blend Down Program
is carried out at several locations at SRS, as follows:

H Area:

-   Purify HEU solution to make blend-grade HEU

-   Blend down HEU with Natural Uranium (NU) provided by a Tennessee
    Valley Authority (TVA) vendor

-   Ship blend-grade Low Enriched Uranium (LEU) to TVA vendor

K Area:

-   Prepare fuel for shipment to H Area

-   Package and ship uranium alloyed metal to TVA vendor

C Lab:

-   Support HEU Blend Down operations and Interagency Agreement
    commitments for sample analysis

Routine shipments of LEU will be made until the material identified in
the agreement with TVA has been processed and shipped. At this time, the
processing is scheduled for completion in Fiscal Year (FY) 2007. HEU
shipments are also scheduled for completion in FY07.

**Background/Lifecycle Discussion:**

The United States declared over 174 metric tons (MT) of HEU surplus to
defense needs. In July, 1996, the Department issued a Record of Decision
(ROD) which calls for reducing stockpiles of HEU. The ROD requires DOE
to make the surplus HEU non-weapons-usable within 15 to 20 years,
primarily by blending it down to LEU and recovering its economic value
by using the resultant LEU as fuel for power or research reactors.

The 174 MT declared surplus includes "off-specification" HEU (LEU fuel
derived from HEU does not meet standard commercial fuel specs, but it is
nonetheless useable in commercial reactors with special processing). On
April 5, 2001, DOE and TVA signed an Interagency Agreement to implement
a program to down-blend approximately 33 MT of DOE off‑specification
surplus HEU to LEU for use as fuel in TVA reactors. In 2004, DOE and TVA
added 6 MT to the agreement, for a total of 39 MT. Approximately 16 MT
of the off-specification HEU will be processed through the SRS H-Canyon
to remove impurities and then down-blended with Natural Uranium provided
by TVA to LEU and delivered to TVA as LEU solution. The LEU solution
must meet the product specification per the Interagency Agreement
between TVA and DOE. The resulting LEU solution will then be converted
to nuclear fuel by vendors under contract to TVA. The remainder of the
off-specification HEU will be delivered to TVA's vendor as HEU, which
will be down-blended by the vendor and converted to fuel.

The materials include solutions processed from both irradiated and
unirradiated fuel as well as ingots. The ingots will be packaged and
shipped from SRS to TVA.

**THE CONTRACTOR Role**

In summary, the work includes:

-   H-Canyon Outside Facilities will complete blending of HEU to
    specification grade LEU, loading material into containers, and
    shipping the containers. This will include support from Operations,
    Facility Engineering, Maintenance, Radcon, Process Controls and
    Quality Assurance. The shipments will be per the shipping schedules
    contained in the Interagency Agreement. The product will meet the
    specification per the Interagency Agreement.

-   Central Laboratories will provide analytical support for H Outside
    Facilities samples to ensure that the HEU, LEU, and NU solutions
    meet SRS requirements for accountability, Nuclear Criticality Safety
    Evaluation (NCSE), and product specification. In addition, Central
    Laboratory (CLAB) ensures that the LEU product meets specifications
    mandated by the Interagency Agreement.

-   Special studies will be performed at the direction of NNSA.

-   Program support will be provided to support the HEU mission. This
    includes Hazardous Material Transport support as well as monthly
    reports on status, material processed through H Canyon, material
    blended, material shipped, and ingots shipped.

**Contract Period Objectives**

**Work Scope for 12-1-06 thru 09-30-11**

All material will be processed and shipped by the end of FY07.

-   Unirradiated fuel shipments from K Area to H Area complete in FY06

-   K Area will complete ingot preparation and shipment from SRS to TVA
    in FY07

-   Processing in H Canyon will be complete in FY06

-   Blending, loading, and shipping operations for LEU continue in
    outside H Area facilities through FY07

-   CLAB provides analytical support through FY07

-   Site support provided includes Operations, Maintenance, Rad Con,
    Process Controls, Quality Assurance, and Facility Engineering

-   Special studies will be performed at the direction of NNSA

-   Program support including Hazardous Material Transport, monthly
    status reports, project closeout reports through FY08

**Work Scope for 10-01-11 thru 09-30-16**

-   NONE\-- mission complete

**Core Work Scope**

Processing, blending, and shipping schedule milestones are defined in
the agreement with TVA.

**Optimized Work Scope**

Increasing the project production schedule at a rate that is acceptable
to TVA.

**Appendix A System State at Contract Start 12-01-06**

Routine storage, processing, blending, loading, and shipping of LEU
solutions to TVA are ongoing. HEU ingot shipments are also ongoing.

-   All building modifications are complete to support processing and
    blending, and routine shipments are being made to TVA

**Appendix B Assumptions**

-   Operating funds will be provided for incremental scope to blend,
    load, and ship the LEU material, transport the unirradiated fuel
    from K Area to H Area, and prepare ingots for shipping to TVA.

-   No interruption in TVA acceptance of material

-   No change in the defined quantities of materials in the program

-   Safe Secure Transport (SST) is available to support shipping
    schedule

-   EM continues to fund the H Canyon and K Area Operations

-   EM continues to fund security force at K Area and H Canyon

**Appendix C Risks**

-   Additional materials could be added to the program and increase the
    project scope and schedule

-   New threat guidance could affect HEU shipment schedules

-   SST is not available to support shipping schedule

**Appendix D HEU Relevant Documents**

**[Orders/SRIDs]{.underline}**

**[SRIPS/Manuals]{.underline}**

**[Regulatory Documents]{.underline}**

Department of Energy, *Record of Decision for the Disposition of Highly
Enriched Uranium Final Environmental Impact Statement*, 61 FR 40619,
Office of the Federal Register, Washington, DC, August 5, 1996.

**[Authorization Basis (e.g. SAR/SER)]{.underline}**

**[Program Plans]{.underline}**