ARCHIVESHISTORIQUES
DELACOMMISSION
COLLECTION RELIEEDES
DOCUMENTS "COM"
COM(79)87
Vol.1979/0028

Disclaimer
Conformément aurèglement(CEE,Euratom)n°354/83duConseildu1erfévrier1983
concernantl'ouvertureaupublicdesarchiveshistoriquesdelaCommunauté économique
européenneetdelaCommunautéeuropéennedel'énergieatomique(JOL43du15.2.1983,
p.1),telquemodifiéparlerèglement(CE,Euratom)n°1700/2003du22septembre2003
(JOL243du27.9.2003,p.1),cedossierestouvertaupublic.Lecaséchéant,lesdocuments
classifiésprésentsdanscedossierontétédéclassifiésconformément àl'article5dudit
règlement.
InaccordancewithCouncilRegulation(EEC,Euratom)No354/83of1February1983
concerningtheopeningtothepublicofthehistoricalarchivesoftheEuropeanEconomic
CommunityandtheEuropeanAtomicEnergyCommunity(OJL43,15.2.1983,p.1),as
amendedbyRegulation(EC,Euratom)No1700/2003of22September2003(OJL243,
27.9.2003,p.1),thisfileisopentothepublic.Wherenecessary,classifieddocumentsinthis
filehavebeendeclassified inconformitywithArticle5oftheaforementioned regulation.
InÜbereinstimmung mitderVerordnung(EWG,Euratom)Nr.354/83desRatesvom1.
Februar1983überdieFreigabederhistorischen ArchivederEuropäischen
Wirtschaftsgemeinschaft undderEuropäischen Atomgemeinschaft (ABI.L43vom15.2.1983,
S.1),geändertdurchdieVerordnung(EG,Euratom)Nr.1700/2003vom22.September2003
(ABI.L243vom27.9.2003,S.1),istdieseDateiderÖffentlichkeitzugänglich.Soweit
erforderlich,wurdendieVerschlusssachen indieserDateiinÜbereinstimmung mitArtikel5
dergenanntenVerordnungfreigegeben.

COMMISSION OFTHEEUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
PROPOSAL FORACOUNCILDECISION FORA
RESEARCH ANDTRAINING PROGRAMME FORTHE
EUROPEAN ATOMICENERGYCOMMUNITY ONTHE
PLUTONIUM CYCLEANDITSSAFETY
(submittedtotheCouncilbytheCommission)COM(79)87 final
Brussels,8thMarch1979
/*:•--
te- *•..
V
COM(79)87final

-1-
1«Introduction
On17December1974"theCounoiladoptedaresearchandtrainingprogramme
onplutoniumrecyclinginlight-waterreactors.Thisfour-year (1975-79)
programme(OJN°349°f28December1974»p.6l)wasextendedfora
yearbytheCouncilDecisionof10October1978(OJL291/17of17
October1978)#
Inordertoensurethatthisprogrammehasthebestpossiblechances
ofsuccess,theCommissionhasbeenguidedbytheopinionsoftheAd­
visoryCommitteeonProgrammeManagement,setbytheCouncil,andof
manygroupsofexperts.Theprogrammehasgivenrisetouseful
consultations andhasenabledhigh-quality worktobecarriedout
atminimumcostasaresultofthefrequentuseoftheCommunity
invitation-to-tendersystem.
Anumberofinformation meetingsforthecontractors underthe
programme,intendedtoensureeffectivedissemination oftheresults
obtained,havebeenheld,andwillagainbeheldin1979»under
Commissionauspices.
Inviewoftheverysignificantresultsobtainedinthe1975-79
programme,theCommissionfeelsthattheknowledgealreadyacquired
atCommunitylevelshouldbeincreasedbyamoreextensiveprogramme
concentrating onthesafetyoftheplutoniumfuelcycleandcovering
theperiod1980-84*

-2-
χ2*Results obtained and anticipated from the 1975-79 programme
Under this programme ithasbeen possible toperform the following
work :
a)In_the_context_of general jstudiefj relating_to theuseof_j?lutonium _
–Onthebasis ofaforward analysis oftheuse ofplutonium
intheCommunity (published in1976 andupdated in1977 )i*
hasbeen possible toprepare areference scenario inwhich
some 15tonnes ofplutonium would berecycled annually inabout
40LWRpower stations inthe Community towards the endofthe
twentieth century *
–Ananalysi-s ofthe environmental impact ofplutonium recycling
wasmade inthe context ofanindustrial development hypothesis
inline with thereference scenario ;this study covers each
stage oftheplutonium cycle :transport ,fuel fabrication ,
plutonium-fuelled LWRpower stations and reprocessing ofplu­
tonium fuels ;italso included anassessment ofthe radiolo­
gical impact onworkers andthegeneral public *Itthus forms thefirst
overall forward analysis onaCommunity scale oftheenviron­
mental impact oftheuse ofplutonium *The study was carried
out under about fifteen contracts andthe Comiaission departments
aretoprepare asummary review ;thepreliminary results show
that intherelevant industrial development context theradio­
logical impact onboth workers andthegeneral public remains
within the limits setbycurrent radiation protection standards *
Thestudy also made itpossible topinpoint research anddevelop­
ment fields that will help toreduce still further theradio­
logical impact ofplutonium recycling *
–Various research projects have been launched with theaimof
improving plutonium transport ol*storage conditions *The
knowledge acquired intheoourse ofthis research should
enable more reliable transport containers tobedeveloped *
Theresults ofthese projeots will bereported orpublished
in1979.'
Adetailed account oftheresults obtained isgiven inthe
annual progress reports for1976 (EUR5780 )»1977 (EaJR6002 )
and1978 (tobepublished )*

-3-
b)Inthecontextof_theimprovement_of sci^enti.fi^c_and_techni^cal_data
on_p2.u^°nium_rec^;cl :ing_inlightwaterreactors_
-Knowledgeoftheneutronphysicsofthehigherisotopesofplu-
toniuniandtranBplutonium elementsisbeingincreasedbymeansof:
Anexperimental programmetomeasurethecrosssectionsofthe
isotopesselctedfollowingcriticalstudiesofspecificrequire­
mentsinLWRpowerstations®Theresultswillbeavailablein1979}
Aseriesofisotopicanalysesoffuelsirradiatedinpowersta­
tions,theresultsofwhichwillbereportedin1979?
Thebasicexperimental datathatwillbeobtainedareessential
tothecorrectpredictionoftheplutoniumbalanceinLWRpower
stations®However,thisserieswillnotprovideasufficientnumber
ofisotopicanalysesoffuelsirradiatedtohighburn-upsofthe
orderof300000MWd/t.
-Acomparisonofneutroncomputation codesgearedtoplutonium-
fuelledLWRpowerstationshasbeencarriedoutfreeofcharge
andontheirowninitiativebythemainCommunitycodeholders.
Thiswasreportedinasummaryreviewin1978.ThisCommission
activityhasestablishedfruitfulcontactsbetweenthemainCom­
munitycodeholders.
-ThestudiesonthecontrolandsafetyofLWRpowerstationsusing
plutoniumfuelsconsistof:
•Atheoreticalpartcoveringthecontrolandsafetyofplutonium-
fuelledpowerstations(staticanddynamicaspectsofthe
stations,fuel-handlingandstorageproblems,majoraccident
analysis).
•Anexperimental partintendingtoimproveknowledgeofthe
neutronphysicsofplutoniumfuelassemblies (powerdistri­
bution,reactivitycoefficients).
Thisworkstartedin1977andwillbecompletedin1979*
Theresultsavailabletodateindicatethatonthewholethere
isagoodknowledgeandmasteryofthespeoificproblemsinvolved
inthecontrolandsafetyofLWRpowerstationsrecyclingthe
plutoniumtheyproduce(self-recycling ).

-4-
-Plutoniumfuelpost-irradiatxon examinations have"beencon­
ductedintwostages:
eAninitialsetofprojectswaslaunchedin1975and1976$
thesecoverexaminations ofplutoniumfuelassembliesirra­
diatedinthepowerstationsatMolinBelgium(BR-3),
Garigli-anoinItaly,LingeninGermanyandDodewaardin
theNetherlands andoffuelpinsfabricated "bytheVibrasol
techniqueirradiatedintheHFRatPettenintheFetherlands e
Theresultsofthisworkwillbeavailablein1979»they
alreadyindicatethatplutoniuiafuelshaveaaimilarbeha­
viourtouraniumfuels.
•Asecondsetofprojectswaslaunchedin1978onfuelseither
:irradiatedtohighburn-upsorrepresentative ofamererecent
technology.Theseprojectscoverpost-irradiation examinations
offuelsirradiatedintheGarigliano,BR~3»DodewaardandSena
powerstations*
Theresultsofthesecondpartwillnotbeavailablebefore
theendof1979°r"thobeginningof1980#
Summarizing ,thisprogramme;
–hasencouragedtheexchangeofinformation anddissemination of
resultsintheCommunity «Thishascomeabouteitherduringthe
preparationofthestudiesandprojectstobeundertaken,carried
outinclosecollaboration withadhocgroupsofexperts,or
duringtheevaluationofresultsat"briefisgmeetingsorganized
bytheCommissionforthecontractholders,theadhoogroups
ofexpertsandthemembersoftheACPMj
-haspreventedduplication ofeffortbydefiningpreciseprojects
inclosecollaboration withthemembersoftheACFMoradhoc
groupsofexpertSoFrequentuseoftheCommunityinvitation-to-
tenderprocedurehasenabledtheprogramme$6becarriedoutat
minimumcostwhileatthesametimeensuringcoordinateddistri­
butionoftheworkamongstOoiawunitylaboratories s

-5-
–haseffectively improved knowledge ofthebehaviour ofplu­
tonium fuels inLWRpower stations andwill provide the Euro­
pean Community with anassessment ofthe impact onthe environ­
ment andonmanofplutonium recyling inLWRpower stations
(likely industrial development situation attheendofthis
century ).Prom those twoaspects ,thecurrent programme has
notidentified anyobstacles toindustrial development in
this field .
3.Objectives foranindirect action programme covering theyears 1980-
84iSafety ofthepluton iumfuel cycle
Reprocessing offuels irradiated inpower stations equipped with
gas/graphite reactors (United Kingdom ,'France andItaly )hasbeen
inoperation for some years ?those fuels are andwill befor several
years the main source ofplutonium a
Thedecision already taken inseveral Community Member States to
reprocess irradiated fuels from LWRpower stations (TheHague ,
plant inoperation ?Windsoale (Thorp project )jWAfC,plant inopera­
tion ?indicate that thequantities ofplutonium thus recovered in
theCommunity will beappreciable ,oftheorder of20tonnes per
year in1990 *
Theradiological characteristics oftheplutonium tobeprocessed
inthenear future will belees favourable than atpresent ,Eince
thequantity ofplutonium from metal fuels irradiated tolow levels
ofburn-up ingas/graphite reactors will gradually fall incomparison
totheplutonium from oxide fuels irradiated tohigh levels ofburn­
upsinlight-water reactors#
Themain objective oftheprogramme istoensure safety intheuse
ofplutonium asanuclear fuel soastoenable allthose involved
(parlamentarians ,governments andindustry )todetermine their atti­
tude ;totheuseofplutonium fuels with afull knowledge ofthe
facts .
TheCommission for itspart felt that this aim should besupported
byagreater commitment totheuseofplutonium ,■asubject already
covered indocument COM(77 )331final "Points foraCommunity stra­
tegy onthereprocessing ofirradiated nuolear fuels "*

Apartfromthemainpurposefotheprogrammesetoutabove,"there
areotherspecificaims:
-toconductstudiesandresearchonalternativetechnologies
whichmayofferagreaterinherentsafetythantheconventional
technologies ,
-tohelpdemonstratethatthefissileandfertilematerialsin
UOg-PuOgfuelsirradiatedinLWRpowerstationscanberecovered
andrecycledinpowerstationsequippedwithfast-breeder and
thermalreactors;
-tocomplementtheworkcarriedoutunderthefirstprogrammeon
thebehaviourofLWRpowerstationsusingmixedoxidefuels#
Outlineofthe1980-84programme
Inordertoachievetheseobjectives,theCommissionproposes
thatthefollowingprogramme,dividedintofivemainprojectschosen
inconsultation withtheAdvisoryCommitteeonprogrammeManagement
inaccordancewiththeCounoilResolutionof18July1977(OJc192
of11August1977)jcarriedoutwithinaCommunityframework.

-7-
Pro.ieet1T°1GeneralStudies
Thesestudieswillprovideatheoretical frameworkforassessingallthe
workcarriedoutundertheprogrammeTheyoover:
(a)Analysesofstrategiesfortheuseofplutoniuminthermalandfast­
"breederreactors
Thesestudieswillinvolvetheperiodicupdatingoftheplutonium
availability forecastspublishedin1976and1977»examinationof
thevariouspossiblestrategiesintheCommunityforusingthe
plutoniumavailable(PBRandLWRpowerstations)andanalysis
ofthedifficulties involved# ■
(b)Assessmentsoftheimpactontheenvironmentofplutoniumrecycling
Theassessmentoftheenvironmental impactofplutoniumrecycling
inLWRpowerstationscarriedoutduringthe1975-79programmeshould
besupplemented ,especiallyinordertoevaluatetheprogress
achievedinimprovingthesafetyoftheplutoniumfuelcycle®
Thesestudieswillincludeanexamination ofthewaysandmeansof
compilingwithinthel/Jtumunitycomparablestatisticsonthehealth
ofworkersintheplutoniumindustryandontheextenltofthe
radiological pollutionoftheenvironment bythatindustryingeneral.
(incollaboration withtheresearchprogrammeonradiationprotection).
(c)Othergeneralstudies
Someothergeneralstudiescouldproveusefulforeffective
managementoftheprogramme,forexample,asummaryorassessment
ofworkdoneoutsidetheCommunityprogramme,ananalysisofwhich
wouldbeValuableasregardsthegenerallinesoftheprogramme.
\
TheCommission'sfinancialcontribution tothegeneralstudiesis
estimatedet:800000EUA«
.i:
i

-8-
ProjectIT"2oResearchanddevelopment workrelatingtothesafety
inthefieldofmixed-oxide fuelfabrication
Thisworkshouldhelpsolvetheproblemsresultingfromtheincreasein
theproductioncapacityofthefabricationunitsandtheforeseable
evolutionoftheradiological characteristics oftheplutoniumtobe
processed,whileensuringthattheseoperationshavethehighestlevel
ofsafety.
Theseprojectswillinclude:
(a)Workofgénéralrelevanceon:
Theimgrovementofradiationprotectionforpersonnelandthe
environment in_m±xed–oxide_fuelfabricationurdts;_thijgwill_
involve,amongotherthings:
.development offire-resistant filtersandneutronshields:
ι !
(ocomparisonofmethodsofevaluatingaccidents .appliedduringthe
safetyanalysesoffuelfabricationplantsaad,acquisitionof
referencedatatobackuptheseevaluations ;
oimprovement ofneutrondosimetryandthemonitoringofthe
atmosphereinfabricationplants;
•developmentofsystemstoreduoegloveboxcontamination ;
•developmentoftechniquesfordetectingresidualfissile
materialsinordertoforestallincidentsandaccidents
anddevelopemnt ofautomatedtechniquesformeasuringthe
fissilematerialspresentinproductionlinesinorderto
improveaccountingandsafeguardsprocedures#

-9-
(b)Work"toassessthepotentialofalternativetechniques
TheValueindevelopingthesealternativetechniquesliesintheir
potentialabilitytoreduceradioactivepollution(eliminationfrom
thefabrication processofanyplutoniumoxidepowderstage-a
particularlyintricatestage)andthefactthattheyavoidsepara­
tionofplutoniumfromuraniumduringfuelfabrication# Thiswork
willconsistin:
(i)assessmentoftheadvantagesanddisadvantages ofalternative
techniques (basedonsol-gelorotherprocesses)inrelationto
existingtechniquesbasedonthepowder-pelletization process.
Thesestudieswillbecontinuedthroughouttheprogrammein
ordertoincorporateallthetechnological dataobtainedand
willincludeageneralcomparativeanalysisofthesetechniques
ontheassumptionthattheyareusedinareferenceplantonan
industrialscale*
(ii-)Laboratorydevelopmentteststoacquirethefurtherdatastill
neededtomasterthesetechnologies soastoweighthemup
againstexistingtechniques onacomparabletechnicalbasis.
Inparticular workonthesol-gelprocesseswillbedesigned
tomasterthetechniquesforthepreparation ofuraniumand
plutoniumoxidegranulesormicrospheres fromamixtureof
plutoniumanduraniumnitrates,therecyclingofrecoverable
materials (minimization ofthequantitiesofplutonium-
contaminated wasteforlaterprocessingandtheconversion
ofthegranulesintofuelpelletswithaviewtoassessing
theircharacteristics ,(irradiationtestsonthesesamples
tinderrepresentative power-reactor conditionsarenotincluded
!inthisprogramme).Theselaboratorytestsmust,inaddition,■
providealltheinformationstillrequiredforthedesignand
operationofequipmentontheassumptionthatitisincorporated
inthereferenceplantonanindustrialscalereferredtoabove.

-10
Thetotal financial contribution bythe Coraaunity tothis
project isestimated at:
(a)Work ofgénéral relevance 2<»5mEuA
(b)Work onalternative processes 4»5 ®EUA
Total 7 mEUA

-11-
ProjectIT03Researchanddevelopment workonplutoniumtransport
(unwrou;?htplutoniumandplutoniumfuels*)
Theaimoftheseprojectsistoensure "bettersafetyandimproveconditions
forthetransportandhandlingofplutonium(unwroughtplutoniumand
plutoniumfuels)#ThisaimwillbeachievedbypreparingatCommunity
leveltestspecifications forthedesignofair-transport containers
andbydesigningandproducingcontainerssuitablefortheshipmentof
substantialquantitiesofplutoniumorplutoniumfuels#Theseprojects
formalogicalsequeltotheworkcarriedoutduringthefirstprogramme
andwillenableittobecontinuedindepth*
TheR&Dstudiesandworkwillinclude:
(a)Basicresearchoncontainerdesign
Thisworkwillcomprisesomestudiesandbasicexperiments necessary
forthedesignofcontainers :
•Executionofacriticality benchmarkexperimentwithaviewto;
validatingthecriticality codesused'forthesafetyassessment
ofcontainersfortransporting plutoniumfuelsforpowerstations
equippedwiththermalorfast-breeder reactorsj
•anexperimental programmetosupportandharmonizeatCommunitylevel
thespecifications forthetests(studiedduringthefirst
programme)towhichair–transportcontainerswillhavetobe
subjected#
Thisharmonization willbecarriedoutinagreementwiththe
competentauthorities oftheMemberStates;
•compilation ofareferencemanualcontainingtheprincipaldata
(contamination potential,residualheat,activity)oftheunirra­
diatedandirradiatedfuelsforthermalandfast-breeder reactors
takenintoaccountforthecontainerproject#

-12-
(b)Containerdevelopment
Thisworki8concernedwiththedevelopmentofcontainers,the
prototypesofwhichwillconstituteEuropeanreferences.Depending
ontheindividualcase,theprojectswillextenduptothe
construction ofprototypesorwill"belimitedtofeasibility
studies.
Thefollowingcontainerswillbedeveloped :
-containerwithahighpayload(about30kg)forthesurface
transportofplutonium(plutoniumoxide,granulesandmixtures
ofuraniumandplutoniumoxides);
-containersforthecarriageofmorethantwounirradiated fuel
assembliesforlight-waterreactors.
Theprogrammeofworkforthesetwotypesofcontainersincludes
designstudies,constructionofthemock-upsrequiredforthe
testsanddevelopment oftheprototypestoserveasEuropean
references.
-containerforthecarriageofplutoniumbyair.
Itisplannedtodevelopacontainerforthecarriageofplutonium
byair,themainfeatureofwhichwillbeitsabilitytowithstand
thetestsmentionedabove.Theworkentailedwillconsistfirst
ofananalysisofthebehaviourofexistingcontainerssubjected
tothesetests.Thendependingontheresults,stepswillbe
takentoimprovethesecontainersortodevelopanewprototype
soastoobtainacontainersatisfyingthesetests.
Thedesignofcontainersforthecarriagebyairofunirradiated
fuelassembliesforthermalandfast–breederreactorswillbethe
subjectoffeasibilitystudies.
-Variousprimarycontainmentvesselsforfuelsirradiatedinfast-
breederreactorswillbestudiedandtheirsealingsystems
developed.

-13-
(c)Themechanization ofthehandling ofunwrought Plutonium
containers
Theaimofthese projects istominimize the exposure to
radiation ofworkers atthereprocesing plant orfuel-ele­
ment fabrication plant who areengaged infilling oremptying
theprimary containment vessels and loading orunloading
these vessels inandout ofthetransport containers •The
work will involve adesign study andtheconstruction and
testing ofprototypes ofthemechanisms andequipment needed
tocarry ourthese operations automatically .
Consultations will take place atCommuntiy level among fuel
reprocessors ,carriers andmanufacturers todetermine inad­
vance themain features ofthis equipemnt soastoprovide a
European reference .
(d)Thetransfer ofplutonium nitrate within integrated sites
Thetransfer ofplutonium nitrate bypipeline will very pro­
bably bethe most widely used means oftransport within inte­
grated sites .However yafeasibility study will benecessary
toassess the merits ofthis choice .The work will consist of
astudy ofthevarious pipeline configuration ,anevaluation
oftherisks involved andananalysis ofthe advantages and
disadvantages fothis transfer system compared with carriage
incontainers andwith pneumatic transfer .
Thefinancial contribution bythe Community tothese projects
'isestimated at: 3*3mEUA .
1
I

-14-
Project_n®4 Researchanddevelopment workonthebalancedrecycling
inFBR'andLWRpowerstationsofUO^-PuO,..fuelsirradiatedr ii1}
inLWRpowerstations
Itisestimatedthatbytheendof1979therewillbesome15tonnes
ofplutoniumfuelsirradiatedinLWRstationsandheldinpower
stationstationcoolingpondsawaitingreprocessing.
Theaimoftheproposedworkistodemonstrate ,onasignificantscale,
thatthesefuelsdonotrepresentunusablewastebutthatthefissile
andfertilematerialswhichtheycontaincanberecoveredandre-used
andthattheradioactive wasteextractedcanbeconditioned anddisposed
ofinthesamewayasconventional radioactive waste.
Thesedemonstration projectsshouldenableelectricity produoersto
assessthetechnological andindustrialpracticability ofplutonium
recyclinginthecontextofthetworeactor-concepts,fast-breeder and
thermal#
Therecoveryandre-useofplutoniumfromirradiatedmixedUOg-PuO^
fuelsdifferfromtherecoveryandre-useofplutoniumfromuranium-
oxidefuelsirradiatedinLWRpowerstations# Amongthereasonsfor
this,mentionmaybemadeofthefollowing :
–theconsiderabletotalplutoniumcontent,particularlyrichin
higherplutoniumisotopes,andtheconsiderable contentoftrans-
plutoniumelements(AmandCm)affectthetransportandreprocessing
oftheseirradiatedfuels,thetransportaftheplutoniumrecovered,
refabrication ofthefuelsand,lastly,theirre-use$
–thestructureofthemixedUO^-PuOg 'fuels,whichdiffersfromthat
oftheuranium-oxide fuels,hasaneffectonthesolubilityofthe
plutonium-oxide particlesduringthereprocessing ofthesefuels#

-15-
Inorder tostudy the problems ofsecond-generation plutonium recycling
intheir various operational aspects ,theCommission intends totake part
inanumber ofconcerted demonstration exercises involving therecycling
ofplutonium contained inUOg–PuO^fuels which have undergone prior
irradiation inlight-water reactors .This recycling will have tobe
carried out ,inabalanced manner ,inthe context ofthefast-breeder
andthermal (LWRpower stations )reactor concepts .
Itisproposed that two orthree practical fuel-assembly reconstitution
exercises beadopted .The first would involve recycling inafast-
breeder react oythesecond inapressurized –water reactor andthe
third inaboiling-water reactor .
The amount offissile plutonium needed would probably beabout 15kg
for all three exercises .
These projects will cover the following aspects :
-transport ofirradiated UO^-PuO ^fuelj
-reprocessing oftheirradiated UO^-PuO ^fuel ,including determination
ofthecharacteristics oftheradioactive waste ;
-design calculation forreloading into thereactor (reactivity coefficient ,
americium effect ):
–fuel reiabrication ;
–transport ofthe refabricated fuel ;
-monitoring ofthefuel irradiations andisotopic analyses (ata
later stage ifdesired );
-analysis oftheenvironmental impact ofthis recycling bycomparison
with first-generation recycling .
Asummary review ofallthese projects will becompiled .
I
Thefinancial contribution bytheCommission tothese projects
isestimated at:3*5mEUA .

-16-
*£r°j®2i_¥f 5Research anddevelopment work on •the "behaviour ofLWRpower
stations using mixed-oxide fuels
The aimofthis work istosupplement andcomplete theproject carried
outduring the first programme with aview toimproving knowledge on
the safety ofthese stations andtheradiation "behaviour ofmixed-oxide
fuels .
(a)Safety_and_radio logical imgact_on theenvironment of_these_power _
stations
This work will cover the study oftypical incidents andaccidents
which were not studied during the first programme andtests onthe
dynamic behaviour ofmixed fuels (interaction between fuel and
cladding )during rapid power transients }toensure it .follows the
right lines ,this work will bepreceded byananalytical review of
the present state ofthe art inthis field ,
(b)Post-irradiat ion_examinat ionsofmixed_fuels_irradiated ifi_LWR_powGr _
stations *
This work will include technological examinations andisotopic analyses
offuels selected onthe basis ofthe potential information they are
likely toprovide (e«g«,fuel representing arecent fabrication
technology ,high burnup )«Acomparison oftheanalysis results obtained
byvarious Community laboratories will also beorganised#
Throughout theprogramme ,there will beanalytical reviews indicating
the progress intheknowledge obtained *
The financial contribution bytheCommission tothis work
isestimated at: 2*3 mEUA .
Acceptance bythe Community ofresponsibility forthe expenditure
inherent inthis work isconditional onthe joint agreement ofthe
fuel supplier .andelectricity producer toguarantee theavailability
ofsufficient data fortheproper understanding ofthetests and
examinations ,without prejudice totheindustrial andcommercial
interests oftheparties involved *
h i

Budgetandctaff
TheCommissionthusproposestoparticipate bywayofcontractsin
thefollowingmainprojects,asdescribedabovet
ProjectN°1sGeneralstudies 0,8mEUA
ProjectN°2:Safetyofplutoniumfuelfabrication ■7,0™EtTA
ProjectN°3:Transportofplutoniumand
plutoniumfuels 3»3mEUA
ProjectN°4!Recyclinginfast-breeder and
thermalreactorsoffuelirradiated
inLWRpowerstations 3«5®SUA
ProjectN°5:BehaviourofLWRpowerstations
usingmixed-oxide fuel 2*3mEUA
Total:16*9mWA
Thecontribution plannedforeachprojectisgivenasaguideandmay
bemodifiedwhiletheprogrammeisunderwayinordertoallowfor
theresultsobtained,technicaldevelopment andchangesintheorder
ofpriority.
Thescientific andtechnicalstaffrequiredtomonitortheimplementation
ofthisprogrammeisestimatedtobe*
4CategoryA
3CategoryB
2CategoryC
Thispersonnelwillincludethestaffofthree(2A+IB)nowassigned
tothe1975~79plutoniumrecyclingprogrammewhichwillhavetobe
increasedtocopewiththegreaterworkloadundertheproposed
programme^

-18-
Thisstaff'smaintaskwillbetohandlethescientificmanagementof
theprogramme,includingthedetaileddefinitionoftheprojects,in
collaboration withexperts.Thepreparation ofprecisespecifications
•I
forthestudiestobecarriedout,theequipmenttobedevelopedor
theresearchanddevelopmenttobedoneisadifficulttaskcalling
forcloseconsultation ,butisfundamental andindispensable inorder
toensurethattheprogrammewillbefullyeffective#
ThiswillguaranteeboththattheworkcarriedoutatCommunitylevel
dovetailsperfectlywithMemberStateprojectswhilstavoidingdupli­
cationandthattheworkisdonetobestadvantagebycallingonthe
Community'smostcompetentteams,chosenbymeansofCommunitywide
invitations totender.
Theothertasksofthisstaffwillbe:
-toorganizeinvitationstotenderandtoexaminethetendersto
selectcontractors :
–toholdmeetingsofexperts:
–todiraftcontractsandmonitortheirperformance fromthetechnical
andscientificaspects;
–toholdmeetingsoftheManagementCommittee;
–toensurethattheresultsaredisseminated ,especiallybydrafting
annualprogressreportsandperiodically holdinginformation meetings
Thisstaffmustbeassignedtotheprogrammethroughoutitsduration.
Thisstaffrequirement makesallowancesforthescientificsupportpro­
videdbytheJRC.
Theoverallbudgetisevaluated ■20mTStJA;itinoludes •contract
expenditure ,staffexpenditure ,andadministrative expenditure.
6..AdvisoryCommitteeonProgrammeManagement-Programmereview
Inordertoensurethateachoftheoperationstobeinitiatedisas
consistentaspossible,theCommissionproposes,asinthepast,to
beguidedbytheopinionsoftheAdvisoryCommitteeonProgramme
Management.TheprogrammewillbeReviewedattheendofthesecond
yearand,tothatend,aprogressreportwillbepreparedforthe
EuropeanParliamentaddtheCouncil.
i

-19-
7.Dissémination ofinformation
In -thedissemination ofinformation ,priority will "begiven toall
Commission contractors under theplutonium-utilization programme a
Tothat end ,therequired secondment ofstaff "between contractors
working onthe same major project will befacilitated andinformation
meetings will "beheld periodically bytheCommission forthebenefit
ofall the contractors ,.
Allthe results will then becommunicated pursuant toArticle 13of
theEuratom Treaty and ,inparticular ,thegeneral results not
prejudicing theknow-how orspecial technical knowledge ofthe
contracting parties will bepublished ^
8#Conclusions
Having regard tothearguments setoutabove ,theCommission requests
theCouncil toadopt the attached programme decision *

ANNEX1
PROPOSAL FORACOUNCILDECISION ADOPTING ARESEARCH
ANDDEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME FORTHEEUROPEAN ATOMIC
ENERGYCOMMUNITY ONTHEPLUTONIUM CYCLE
ANDITSSAFETY
(NUCLEARINDIRECT-ACTION PROGRAMME)
1980-84
THECOUNCILOFTHEEUROPEANCOMMUNITIES ,
HavingregardtotheTreatyestablishing theEuropeanAtomicEnergy
Community,andinparticularArticle^thereof}
HavingregardtotheproposalfromtheCommissionsubmittedafter
consultation withtheScientificandTechnicalCommittee;
HavingregardtotheOpinionoftheEuropeanParliament;
HavingregardtotheOpinionoftheEconomicandSocialCommittee;
■Whereas,inviewoftheverysignificantresultsobtainedsofarin
theprogrammeontherecyclingofplutoniuminlight–waterreactors
(1975–79)*theknowledgealreadyacquiredatCommunitylevelshould
beincreasedsoastoensuremaximumsafetyintheuseofplutonium,
HASADOPTEDTHISDECISION:
Article1i
Aresearchanddevelopment programmeontheplutoniumcycleanditssafety,
setoutintheAnnex,isherebyadoptedforaperiodoffiveyearsfrom
1January19$0»TheAnnexformsanintegralpartofthisDeoision*
; »:r
*OJN°1394/61,26.12.1974

ANNEX1(continued )
Article2
Thetotalrequirements forthecompletedurationoftheprogramme
areestimatedat20millionEuropeanunitsofaccountandninestaff,
theunitofaccountbeingthatdefinedinArticle10oftheFinancial
Regulationof21December1977*Thesefiguresaregivensolelyasa
guide.
Article3
Theprogrammesetou_tintheAnnexshallbareviewednotlaterthan
theendofthesecondyear*
DoneatBrussels.
PortheCouncil
PorThePresident
:

ANNEX 1
Themain purpose oftheprogramme istoensure maximum safety
intheuseofplutonium asanuclear fuel *
Theprogramme covers areas relevant totheuseofplutonium
.both inthermal andinfast-breeder reactors ;itincludes
studies andresearch and development work on:
–expert reports onenvironmental impact andother work of
general interest associated with plutonium use :
–safety ofplutonium fuel fabrication .
–transport ofplutonium andplutonium fuels ,
–recycling infast-breeder andthermal (light-water )reaotors
offissile materials reoovered from plutonium fuels previously
irradiated inlight-water reactors ,
–behaviour ofplutonium –fuelled LWRpower stations *
Thisprogramme will becarried outbywayofcontracts *

FINANCIAL RECORD
1.RELEVANTBUDGETHEADING
-Itemî3355
-Heading:Theplutoniumcycleanditssafetyaspects.
1.1.TITLEOPTHEPROJECT
Theplutoniumcycleanditssafetyaspects.
2.LEGALBASIS
ApplicationofArticle7oftheTreatyestablishing theEAEC*.
3.DESCRIPTION OPTHEPROJECT
3.1.Description
Thisprogrammemaytoacertainextentbeconsideredaconti­
nuationanddevelopment oftheProgrammeonPlutoniumRecycling
inLight-WaterReactorscoveringtheperiod1975-79(programme
decisions,of17December1974(OJL349/74)andof10October
1978(OJL291/78).
Thenewprogrammecoversareaswhichhelptoensuremaximum
safetyoftheplutoniumcycleinthermalandfaBt-breeder reac­
tors,andincludesstudiesandR&Dworkon:
-Assessmentoftheenvironmental impactandotheraspects
ofgeneralinterestassociatedwiththeplutoniumcycles
-safetyofplutoniumfuelfabrications
-transportofplutoniumandplutoniumfuels;
-recyclinginfast-breeder andthermal(light-water )reactors
offissilematerialsrecoveredfromplutoniumfuelsirradiated
I 1,1inlight-waterreactors;
-behaviourofplutonium-fuelled light-waterreactors.
Thisproject,whichistobecarriedoutundercontracts,
supplementstheprogrammeundertakeninthevariousMember
States.

3»2«Objective
Theaimoftheprogr^raeietoensuremaximumsafetyinthe
useofplutoniumasanuolearfuelsoastoenableallthose
involved(parlamentariann ,governments andindustry)to
supporttheirattitudetotheuaeofplutoniumfuelsinroao-
torewithafullknowledgeof'thefaots.
4.JUSTIFICATION OFTHEPROJECT
-Safetyintheuaeofplutoniumasanuolearfuel}
-Industriel andenergypolicy;
-Rationalutilization ofplutoniumsoaotoreduce
enricheduraniumneeds.
5.FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS OFTHEPROJECTINRESPECTOFTHE
INTERVENTION APPROPRIATIONS
(includingstaffexpenditure andadministrative andtechnical
operatingexpenditure )
5.1»Overallcostforthewholeoftheexpactadduration
ofthepro.ject: approximately 35œFJJA
5o2»Char/?oableto;
-Communitybudget 20ç000«000 EJUA
-Nationalbudgets (approximately
-Othersectorsatnationallevol (15idE5M
5®3»Hultiarmual tiiretablø
Appropriations forcommitment
ITypeof|
expenditure:1
1980j1961 1982] i1983 1984 |Total
Staff
Admin•
operation
Contracte446,450
92,550
3,000,000469,500
101.500
4,000,000494,700
110,300
4,000,000519,200
115,200
4,000,000545,000
135,000
970,000£,475,'lrO.
554,550
16,970,000
Total[3,539,000
L !4,571,000 4,605,000
I I4,63*7,0002,650,00020^000^000

-3-
5*3«1«2*Appropriations forpayment
Typeof
expenditure19801981 1982 1983 19841985Total
Staff
Admin,
operation
Contracta446,450
92,550
1,000,000469,500
101,500
3,000,000494,700
110,300
4,000,000519,800
115,200
4,000,000545,000
135,000
3,000,000 1,970,0002,475,450
554,550
16,970,000
Total1,539,000 !
––M–J1
3,571,000 4,605,0004,635,000 3,680,000 1,970,00020,000,000
S.3.2,Methodofoaloulation
(a)Staffexpenditure
Staffingneedshavebeenoaloulatedenthebasisofa
staffof9fortheprograms,i.e.i
4CategoryAofficials;
3CategoryBoffiolalB {
2Category0officials.
■Inadditiontothesefigures,theoaloulations take
intoaooouottheCoBmissionstaffsalary-inoreas *rates
usedforestimatingtheappropriations enteredinths
1979Budget;fortheperiod1980-82anincreasein
volumecorrespondstothetrendinthegenerallevel
ofthoseprioesintheCommunitywhiohhavebeense­
lectedforarrivingatthethree-yearly estimatesfor.
thisperiod,namelythefollowingratesi1980t1.065,
I98I11.120,1982:1.180.Anincreaseof6j£perannum
hasbeentakenintoooneideration for1983-84.
(b)Administrativ eand/ortechnicaloperatingexpenditure
Thisheadingooversinparticularexpenditure involved
inmissionsandtheorganization ofmeetingsandre­
ceptions.Theexpenditure hasbeenevaluatedonths
basisofthsstaffingandfinanoialrequirements of
comparableprogrammeswhioharcalreadyinprogress,
i.e.,approximately 15meetingsat3600SUAeaohaid
70missionsat400KJAeaohperyear.
!■!'
;■'I
IT
c,J*.m,-m

-4-
(c)Contract expenditure
This heading covers the Community 'sfinancial partici­
pation inresearch conducted under shared-cost contracts
(studies ,research work ,etc)which areto "beconcluded
with specialized firms andlaboratories intheMember
States .Since thetype ofsubject andthe contractors'
qualifications Vary ,itisnotpossible toestablish a
uniform method ofcalculation .Needs have been estimated
byevaluating asaccurately aspossible the costs ofthe
various technical studies andtasks involved inthe pro­
gramme inclose collaboration with thenational experts of
theAdvisory Committee onProgramme Management responsible
forthe 1975-79 programme .Itcanbeestimated that during
this programme approximately 80contracts will benego­
tiated with national bodies ,specialized institutions
andindustrial firms ,theCommunity 'saverage financial
participation inthese contracts being approximately 50$.
Atallevents ,theAdvisory Committee onProgramme Manage­
ment responsible forthis programme will berequired to
give itsopinion ontheuseoftheappropriations .
6.FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS ONTHE STAFF ANDNORMAL OPERATING
APPROPRIATIONS
(Seesection 5above ) ,
I:
7.FINANCING
7.4.Theappropriations required tocover Community participation
inthis project aretobeentered infuture budgets .
8.IMPLICATIONS INRESPECT OFREVENUE ,IFANY
-Community taxonofficials' salaries
-Officials' contributions tothepension scheme .

TYPEOFCOHTROLTOBEAPPLIED
Scientificcontrolï ACPM
ResponsibleofficialsinDOXII
Administrative control
BytheDirectorate-General forPinanoialControlwith
regardtoimplementation oftheBudgetandcheckingof
expenditure and"bytheAdministration ofContracts
DivisionofDGXII.