B205
Encyclopedia
B205 is the name of the Magnox
nuclear reprocessing
plant at Sellafield
in northern England
. This plant uses PUREX
chemistry (based on tributyl phosphate
(TBP)) to extract plutonium
and uranium
from used nuclear fuel.http://www.ieer.org/ensec/no-2/britain.html. The plant was originally constructed and operated by UKAEA, but in 1971 control was transferred to British Nuclear Fuels Limited (BNFL).
B205 was commissioned in 1964 as a replacement for Britain's
first nuclear reprocessing plant, B204, which was converted into a pre-handling plant for B205 and recommissioned in 1969. In 1973, after both plants had been shut down for one year for repairs, a violent reaction in the B204 plant occurred which contaminated the entire plant and 34 workers with ruthenium
-106. Following this event the B204 plant was permanently decommissioned http://www.bellona.no/en/energy/nuclear/sellafield/wp_5-2001/21738.html.
Over its lifetime, the B205 plant has handled over 35,000 tons of expended magnox fuel, and returned over 15,000 tons of uranium to the fuel cycle. Currently the British nuclear industry is in the process of discontinuing the use of all Magnox fueled reactors, with a target date of 2010, and the B205 plant is slated for decommissioning around 2012 after all fuel has been reprocessed http://www.bellona.no/en/energy/nuclear/sellafield/wp_5-2001/21739.html.
Magnox
Magnox is a now obsolete type of nuclear power reactor which was designed and is still in use in the United Kingdom, and was exported to other countries, both as a power plant, and, when operated accordingly, as a producer of plutonium for nuclear weapons...
nuclear reprocessing
Nuclear reprocessing
Nuclear reprocessing technology was developed to chemically separate and recover fissionable plutonium from irradiated nuclear fuel. Reprocessing serves multiple purposes, whose relative importance has changed over time. Originally reprocessing was used solely to extract plutonium for producing...
plant at Sellafield
Sellafield
Sellafield is a nuclear reprocessing site, close to the village of Seascale on the coast of the Irish Sea in Cumbria, England. The site is served by Sellafield railway station. Sellafield is an off-shoot from the original nuclear reactor site at Windscale which is currently undergoing...
in northern England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. This plant uses PUREX
PUREX
PUREX is an acronym standing for Plutonium - URanium EXtraction — de facto standard aqueous nuclear reprocessing method for the recovery of uranium and plutonium from used nuclear fuel. It is based on liquid-liquid extraction ion-exchange.The PUREX process was invented by Herbert H. Anderson and...
chemistry (based on tributyl phosphate
Tributyl phosphate
Tributyl phosphate, known commonly as TBP, is an organophosphorus compound with the formula 3PO. This colourless, odorless liquid finds some applications as an extractant and a plasticizer. It is an ester of orthophosphoric acid with n-butanol.- Production :Tributyl phosphate is manufactured by...
(TBP)) to extract plutonium
Plutonium
Plutonium is a transuranic radioactive chemical element with the chemical symbol Pu and atomic number 94. It is an actinide metal of silvery-gray appearance that tarnishes when exposed to air, forming a dull coating when oxidized. The element normally exhibits six allotropes and four oxidation...
and uranium
Uranium
Uranium is a silvery-white metallic chemical element in the actinide series of the periodic table, with atomic number 92. It is assigned the chemical symbol U. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons...
from used nuclear fuel.http://www.ieer.org/ensec/no-2/britain.html. The plant was originally constructed and operated by UKAEA, but in 1971 control was transferred to British Nuclear Fuels Limited (BNFL).
B205 was commissioned in 1964 as a replacement for Britain's
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
first nuclear reprocessing plant, B204, which was converted into a pre-handling plant for B205 and recommissioned in 1969. In 1973, after both plants had been shut down for one year for repairs, a violent reaction in the B204 plant occurred which contaminated the entire plant and 34 workers with ruthenium
Ruthenium
Ruthenium is a chemical element with symbol Ru and atomic number 44. It is a rare transition metal belonging to the platinum group of the periodic table. Like the other metals of the platinum group, ruthenium is inert to most chemicals. The Russian scientist Karl Ernst Claus discovered the element...
-106. Following this event the B204 plant was permanently decommissioned http://www.bellona.no/en/energy/nuclear/sellafield/wp_5-2001/21738.html.
Over its lifetime, the B205 plant has handled over 35,000 tons of expended magnox fuel, and returned over 15,000 tons of uranium to the fuel cycle. Currently the British nuclear industry is in the process of discontinuing the use of all Magnox fueled reactors, with a target date of 2010, and the B205 plant is slated for decommissioning around 2012 after all fuel has been reprocessed http://www.bellona.no/en/energy/nuclear/sellafield/wp_5-2001/21739.html.