of support activities required both to provide raw fuel and
to recover and recycle the uranium and‘plutonium make up
what is maown as the nuclear fuel cycle.
The AEC has
4
nrojectes that over 4 million megawatts of nuclear capacity
will be installed between 1970
and 2020°.
Over the lifetimes
of these plants this installed capacity could result ina
cumulative flow of approximately 200 million kilograms of
plutonium through the nuclear fuel cycle.
In today's commercial reactors the plutonium is in
oxide form, Pu.
cycle,
aerosols
At various
of Puls
a routine basis.
are
released
In addition,
the fuel cycle where accidents,
with fire or explosions,
Pus
facilities in the nuclear fuel
to the
environment on
there are numerous points in
particularly those associated
can release significant amounts of
as aerosols that can be inhaled by man.
These small aerosol particles of Pu05 are highly radio-
‘active.
An appreciable fraction of the inhaled Pu0>
particles are trapped in the deep respiratory tissue of
the
lung, where, because they are insoluble in human tissue,
4/
Updated
(1970)
Reactor Program,
million megawatts
Cost-Benefit Analysis of the U.
USAEC,
(Mw)
WASH-1184,
January
1972,
S.
p.
Breeder
34.
Four
corresponds to 4000 nominal-size
nuclear reactors -- 1000 Mw each.
5/
Some advanced seactors of the future may use
carbide and nitride, rather than oxide, form.
*
PT LS SVM
:
"
ae
.
oe
mo
.
‘oo c)aJ We
™
hed
*
a
aren
eae Pe me re pet ee aT
pe ap
set.
4,
: a
me
’
¥
5
‘.
ad a gwer
" ela
et
a
wae.
!
. yh
ae
pote
eoMe
, a
OS 42 te Beye
RB
et
ge it
eoPee
Ld
t
*
.
a
ge!
“er
*
a,
.
.
roa
oa
.
‘op
at
ay
aa
oe
t
fuel in
nn
va a}
4
Lo
+
-
eee
y
ome
.
' we
'
<