Especially designed or prepared ‘product’ and ‘tails’ collector assemblies for uranium metal in solid form. These collector assemblies are made of or protected by materials resistant to the heat and corrosion of uranium metal vapor, such as yttria-coated graphite or tantalum.
\n5.8.6. Separator module housings Cylindrical vessels especially designed or prepared for use in plasma separation enrichment plants for containing the uranium plasma source, radio-frequency drive coil and the ‘product’ and ‘tails’ collectors.
\nEXPLANATORY NOTE These housings have a multiplicity of ports for electrical feed-throughs, diffusion pump connections and instrumentation diagnostics and monitoring. They have provisions for opening and closure to allow for refurbishment of internal components and are constructed of a suitable non-magnetic material such as stainless steel.
\n5.9. Especially designed or prepared systems, equipment and components for use in electromagnetic enrichment plants INTRODUCTORY NOTE In the electromagnetic process, uranium metal ions produced by ionization of a salt feed material (typically UC14) are accelerated and passed through a magnetic field that has the effect of causing the ions of different isotopes to follow different paths. The major components of an electromagnetic isotope separator include: a magnetic field for ionbeam diversion/separation of the isotopes, an ion source with its acceleration system, and a collection system for the separated ions. Auxiliary systems for the process include the magnet power supply system, the ion source high-voltage power supply system, the vacuum system, and extensive chemical handling systems for recovery of product and cleaning/recycling of components.
\n5.9.1. Electromagnetic isotope separators Electromagnetic isotope separators especially designed or prepared for the separation of uranium isotopes, and equipment and components therefor, including: (a) Ion sources Especially designed or prepared single or multiple uranium ion sources consisting of a vapor source, ionizer, and beam accelerator, constructed of suitable materials such as graphite, stainless steel, or copper, and capable of providing a total ion beam current of 50 mA or greater. (b) Ion collectors Collector plates consisting of two or more slits and pockets especially designed or prepared for collection of enriched and depleted uranium ion beams and constructed of suitable materials such as graphite or stainless steel. (c) Vacuum housings Especially designed or prepared vacuum housings for uranium electromagnetic separators, constructed of suitable non-magnetic materials such as stainless steel and designed for operation at pressures of 0.1 Pa or lower.
\nEXPLANATORY NOTE The housings are specially designed to contain the ion sources, collector plates and water-cooled liners and have provision for diffusion pump connections and opening and closure for removal and reinstallation of these components. (d) Magnet pole pieces Especially designed or prepared magnet pole pieces having a diameter greater than 2 m used to maintain a constant magnetic field within an electromagnetic isotope separator and to transfer the magnetic field between adjoining separators.
\n5.9.2. High voltage power supplies Especially designed or prepared high-voltage power supplies for ion sources, having all of the following characteristics: capable of continuous operation, output voltage of 20,000 V or greater, output current of 1 A or greater, and voltage regulation of better than 0.01% over a time period of 8 hours.
\n5.9.3. Magnet power supplies Especially designed or prepared high-power, direct current magnet power supplies having all of the following characteristics: capable of continuously producing a current output of 500 A or greater at a voltage of 100 V or greater and with a current or voltage regulation better than 0.01% over a period of 8 hours.
\nThe GS process is based upon the exchange of hydrogen and deuterium between water and hydrogen sulphide within a series of towers which are operated with the top section cold and the bottom section hot. Water flows down the towers while the hydrogen sulphide gas circulates from the bottom to the top of the towers. A series of perforated trays are used to promote mixing between the gas and the water. Deuterium migrates to the water at low temperatures and to the hydrogen sulphide at high temperatures. Gas or water, enriched in deuterium, is removed from the first stage towers at the junction of the hot and cold sections and the process is repeated in subsequent stage towers. The product of the last stage, water enriched up to 30% in deuterium, is sent to a distillation unit to produce reactor grade heavy water, i.e., 99.75% deuterium oxide.
\nThe ammonia-hydrogen exhange process can extract deuterium from synthesis gas through contact with liquid ammonia in the presence of a catalyst. The synthesis gas is fed into exchange towers and to an ammonia converter. Inside the towers the gas flows from the bottom to the top while the liquid ammonia flows from the top to the bottom. The deuterium is stripped from the hydrogen in the synthesis gas and concentrated in the ammonia. The ammonia then flows into an ammonia cracker at the bottom of the tower while the gas flows into an ammonia converter at the top. Further enrichment takes place in subsequent stages and reactor grade heavy water is produced through final distillation. The synthesis gas feed can be provided by an ammonia plant that, in turn, can be constructed in association with a heavy water ammonia-hydrogen exchange plant. The ammonia-hydrogen exchange process can also use ordinary water as a feed source of deuterium.
\nMany of the key equipment items for heavy water production plants using GS or the ammonia-hydrogen exchange processes are common to several segments of the chemical and petroleum industries. This is particularly so for small plants using the GS process. However, few of the items are available “off-the-shelf”. The GS and ammonia-hydrogen processes require the handling of large quantities of flammable, corrosive and toxic fluids at elevated pressures. Accordingly, in establishing the design and operating standards for plants and equipment using these processes, careful attention to the materials selection and specifications is required to ensure long service life with high safety and reliability factors. The choice of scale is primarily a function of economics and need. Thus, most of the equipment items would be prepared according to the requirements of the customer.
\nFinally, it should be noted that, in both the GS and the ammonia-hydrogen exchange process, items of equipment which individually are not especially designed or prepared for heavy water production can be assembled into systems which are especially designed or prepared for producing heavy water. The catalyst production system used in the ammonia-hydrogen exchange process and water distillation systems used for the final concentration of heavy water to reactor-grade in either process are examples of such systems.
\nThe items of equipment which are especially designed or prepared for the production of heavy water utilizing either the water-hydrogen sulphide exchange process or the ammonia-hydrogen exchange process include the following:
\n6.1. Water-Hydrogen Sulphide Exchange Towers Exchange towers fabricated from fine carbon steel (such as ASTM A516) with diameters of 6 m (20 ft) to 9 m (30 ft), capable of operating at pressures greater than or equal to 2 MPa (300 psi) and with a corrosion allowance of 6 mm or greater, especially designed or prepared for heavy water production utilizing the water-hydrogen sulphide exchange process.
\n6.2. Blowers and Compressors Single stage, low head (i.e, 0.2 MPa or 30 psi) centrifugal blowers or compressors for hydrogen-sulphide gas circulation (i.e., gas containing more than 70% H2S) especially designed or prepared for heavy water production utilizing the water-hydrogen sulphide exchange process. These blowers or compressors have a throughput capacity greater than or equal to 56 m3/second (120,000 SCFM) while operating at pressures greater than or equal to 1.8 MPa (260 psi) suction and have seals designed for wet H2S service.
\n6.3. Ammonia-Hydrogen Exchange Towers Ammonia-hydrogen exchange towers greater than or equal to 35 m (114.3 ft) in height with diameters of 1.5 m (4.9 ft) to 2.5 m (8.2 ft) capable of operating at pressures greater than 15 MPa (2225 psi) especially designed or prepared for heavy water production utilizing the ammonia-hydrogen exchange process. These towers also have at least one flanged axial opening of the same diameter as the cylindrical part through which the tower internals can be inserted or withdrawn.
\n6.4. Tower Internals and Stage Pumps Tower internals and stage pumps especially designed or prepared for towers for heavy water production utilizing the ammonia-hydrogen exchange process. Tower internals include especially designed stage contactors which promote intimate gas/liquid contact. Stage pumps include especially designed submersible pumps for circulation of liquid ammonia within a contacting stage internal to the stage towers.
\n6.5. Ammonia Crackers Ammonia crackers with operating pressures greater than or equal to 3 MPa (450 psi) especially designed or prepared for heavy water production utilizing the ammonia-hydrogen exchange process.
\n6.6. Infrared Absorption Analyzers Infrared absorption analyzers capable of “on-line” hydrogen/deuterium ratio analysis where deuterium concentrations are equal to or greater than 90%.
\n6.7. Catalytic Burners Catalytic burners for the conversion of enriched deuterium gas into heavy water especially designed or prepared for heavy water production utilizing the ammonia-hydrogen exchange process.
\n7.1. Especially designed or prepared systems for the conversion of uranium ore concentrates to UO3 EXPLANATORY NOTE Conversion of uranium ore concentrates to UO3 can be performed by first dissolving the ore in nitric acid and extracting purified uranyl nitrate using a solvent such as tributyl phosphate. Next, the uranyl nitrate is converted to UO3 either by concentration and denitration or by neutralization with gaseous ammonia to produce ammonium diuranate with subsequent filtering, drying, and calcining.
\n7.2. Especially designed or prepared systems for the conversion of UO3 to UF6 EXPLANATORY NOTE Conversion of UO3 to UF6 can be performed directly by fluorination. The process requires a source of fluorine gas or chlorine trifluoride.
\n7.3. Especially designed or prepared systems for the conversion of UO3 to UO2 EXPLANATORY NOTE Conversion of UO3 to UO2 can be performed through reduction of UO3 with cracked ammonia gas or hydrogen.
\n7.4. Especially designed or prepared systems for the conversion of UO2 to UF4 EXPLANATORY NOTE Conversion of UO2 to UF4 can be performed by reacting UO2 with hydrogen fluoride gas (HF) at 300-500°C.
\n7.5. Especially designed or prepared systems for the conversion of UF4 to UF6 EXPLANATORY NOTE Conversion of UF4 to UF6 is performed by exothermic reaction with fluorine in a tower reactor. UF6 is condensed from the hot effluent gases by passing the effluent stream through a cold trap cooled to -10°C. The process requires a source of fluorine gas.
\n7.6. Especially designed or prepared systems for the conversion of UF4 to U metal EXPLANATORY NOTE Conversion of UF4 to U metal is performed by reduction with magnesium (large batches) or calcium (small batches). The reaction is carried out at temperatures above the melting point of uranium (1130°C).
\n7.7. Especially designed or prepared systems for the conversion of UF6 to UO2 EXPLANATORY NOTE Conversion of UF6 to UO2 can be performed by one of three processes. In the first, UF6 is reduced and hydrolyzed to UO2 using hydrogen and steam. In the second, UF6 is hydrolyzed by solution in water, ammonia is added to precipitate ammonium diuranate, and the diuranate is reduced to UO2 with hydrogen at 820°C. In the third process, gaseous UF6, CO2, and NH3 are combined in water, precipitating ammonium uranyl carbonate. The ammonium uranyl carbonate is combined with steam and hydrogen at 500-600°C to yield UO2.
\nUF6 to UO2 conversion is often performed as the first stage of a fuel fabrication plant.
\n7.8. Especially designed or prepared systems for the conversion of UF6 to UF4 EXPLANATORY NOTE Conversion of UF6 to UF4 is performed by reduction with hydrogen.
\nANNEX III To the extent that the measures in this Protocol involve nuclear material declared by the Community and without prejudice to Article 1 of this Protocol, the Agency and the Community shall cooperate to facilitate implementation of those measures and shall avoid unnecessary duplication of activities.
\nThe Community shall provide the Agency with information relating to transfers, for both nuclear and non-nuclear purposes, from each State to another Member State of the Community and to such transfers to each State from another Member State of the Community that corresponds to the information to be provided under Article 2.a.(vi)(b) under Article 2.a.(vi)(c) in relation to exports and imports of source material which has not reached the composition and purity suitable for fuel fabrication or for being isotopically enriched.
\nEach State shall provide the Agency with information relating to transfers to or from another Member State of the Community that corresponds to the information on specified equipment and non-nuclear material listed in Annex II of this Protocol to be provided under Article 2.a.(ix)(a) in relation to exports and, upon specific request of the Agency, under Article 2.a.(ix)(b) in relation to imports.
\nWith regard to the Community's Joint Research Centre, the Community shall also implement the measures which this Protocol sets out for States, as appropriate in close collaboration with the State on whose territory an establishment of the Centre is located.
\nThe Liaison Committee, established under Article 25(a) of the Protocol referred to in Article 26 of the Safeguards Agreement, will be extended in order to allow for participation by representatives of the States and adjustment to the new circumstances resulting from this Protocol.
\nFor the sole purposes of the implementation of this Protocol, and without prejudice to the respective competences and responsibilities of the Community and its Member States, each State which decides to entrust to the Commission of the European Communities implementation of certain provisions which under this Protocol are the responsibility of the States, shall so inform the other Parties to the Protocol through a side letter. The Commission of the European Communities shall inform the other Parties to the Protocol of its acceptance of any such decisions.
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