Why is weapons grade plutonium more hazardous to work with than highly enriched uranium?
Abstract
Highly Enriched Uranium and Weapons grade plutonium have assumed positions of dominant importance among the actinide elements because of their successful uses as explosive ingredients in nuclear weapons and the place they hold as key materials in the development of industrial use of nuclear power. While most chemists are familiar with the practical interest concerning HEU and WG Pu, fewer know the subtleties among their hazards. In this study, a primer is provided regarding the hazards associated with working with HEU and WG Pu metals and oxides. The care that must be taken to safely handle these materials is emphasized and the extent of the hazards is described. The controls needed to work with HEU and WG Pu metals and oxides are differentiated. Given the choice, one would rather work with HEU metal and oxides than WG Pu metal and oxides.
- Authors:
-
- Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1221769
- Alternate Identifier(s):
- OSTI ID: 1357069
- Report Number(s):
- LA-UR-14-28883
Journal ID: ISSN 1871-5532
- Grant/Contract Number:
- AC52-06NA25396
- Resource Type:
- Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Name:
- Journal of Chemical Health and Safety
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Volume: 22; Journal Issue: 4; Journal ID: ISSN 1871-5532
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY; 11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS; 38 RADIATION CHEMISTRY, RADIOCHEMISTRY, AND NUCLEAR CHEMISTRY; 61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY; Plutonium, Uranium, Hazards, Assessment
Citation Formats
Cournoyer, Michael E., Costigan, Stephen A., and Schake, Bradley S. Why is weapons grade plutonium more hazardous to work with than highly enriched uranium?. United States: N. p., 2015.
Web. doi:10.1016/j.jchas.2014.10.004.
Cournoyer, Michael E., Costigan, Stephen A., & Schake, Bradley S. Why is weapons grade plutonium more hazardous to work with than highly enriched uranium?. United States. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jchas.2014.10.004
Cournoyer, Michael E., Costigan, Stephen A., and Schake, Bradley S. Sat .
"Why is weapons grade plutonium more hazardous to work with than highly enriched uranium?". United States. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jchas.2014.10.004. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1221769.
@article{osti_1221769,
title = {Why is weapons grade plutonium more hazardous to work with than highly enriched uranium?},
author = {Cournoyer, Michael E. and Costigan, Stephen A. and Schake, Bradley S.},
abstractNote = {Highly Enriched Uranium and Weapons grade plutonium have assumed positions of dominant importance among the actinide elements because of their successful uses as explosive ingredients in nuclear weapons and the place they hold as key materials in the development of industrial use of nuclear power. While most chemists are familiar with the practical interest concerning HEU and WG Pu, fewer know the subtleties among their hazards. In this study, a primer is provided regarding the hazards associated with working with HEU and WG Pu metals and oxides. The care that must be taken to safely handle these materials is emphasized and the extent of the hazards is described. The controls needed to work with HEU and WG Pu metals and oxides are differentiated. Given the choice, one would rather work with HEU metal and oxides than WG Pu metal and oxides.},
doi = {10.1016/j.jchas.2014.10.004},
journal = {Journal of Chemical Health and Safety},
number = 4,
volume = 22,
place = {United States},
year = {Sat Aug 01 00:00:00 EDT 2015},
month = {Sat Aug 01 00:00:00 EDT 2015}
}
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