Remote Surveys of the BN-350 Fast Breeder Reactor Refueling Pathway (Aktau, Kazakhstan) - 11061

Remote visual and radiation surveys have been undertaken throughout the spent fuel discharge route (the refueling pathway) of the BN-350 fast reactor located in Aktau, Kazakhstan. The objective was to confirm the absence of significant amounts of nuclear material remaining from past operations, following the consignment of the spent nuclear fuel to secure storage away from the reactor. For BN-350 there was a particular area of concern – the hot cell which was used for fuel cutting, inspection and packaging and the vault underneath the cell, designed for storage of beta/gamma-active irradiated off-cuts produced during fuel sub-assembly handling/dismantling. These areas were not easily accessible, especially the vault which was not equipped with any visual or radiation monitoring systems. The results of surveys of the hot cell vault, the spent fuel handling and washing boxes and initial examination of the fuel storage ponds have allowed estimates to be made of the amount of residual fuel contamination from past operations. It has been confirmed that no significant holdings of nuclear material remain.