Safety of Nuclear Fuel Reprocessing Facilities

This publication provides guidance on meeting the requirements of IAEA Safety Standards Series No. NS-R-5 (Rev.1) relating to nuclear fuel reprocessing facilities. It covers the lifetime of these facilities, from site selection through to decommissioning, concentrating on the design and operational phases. It applies to facilities that reprocess spent fuel and other material from nuclear power plants that use metallic and oxide fuels, including materials from mixed oxide fuel (MOX) and breeder reactors. It covers the safety issues relating to: the handling of spent fuel; mechanical treatment and the dissolution of spent fuel in acid; the separation of uranium and plutonium from fission products using solvents; the separation and purification of plutonium and uranium; and the production and storage of solutions and oxides to be used as feed material to form fresh uranium or mixed (UO2/PuO2) oxide fuel.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is the world's center of cooperation in the nuclear field. It was set up as the world's "Atom's for Peace" organization in 1957 within the United Nations family. The Agency works with its Member States and multiple partners worldwide to promote safe, secure and peaceful nuclear technologies.