The AL-R8 SI: The next generation staging container for plutonium pits at the USDOE Pantex Plant
- DOE Pantex Plant, Amarillo, TX (United States)
The AL-R8 SI (sealed insert) is the next generation staging container for plutonium pits at the US DOE Pantex Plant. The sealed insert is a stainless steel container that will be placed inside a modified AL-R8 container to stage pits. A pit is a hollow sphere of plutonium metal which is the primary fissionable material in nuclear weapons (warheads and bombs). It is hermetically sealed by a cladding material, which is usually stainless steel. Personnel exposures to ionizing radiation from the pits in storage are expected to decrease due to the attenuation provided by the new SI. All personnel exposures to ionizing radiation at Pantex Plant are As Low As Reasonably Achievable (ALARA). Pantex Plant secures the common defense and national security of the US by safely staging plutonium pits in a manner that protests the health and safety of employees, the public, and the environment.
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- OSTI ID:
- 696826
- Journal Information:
- Health Physics, Vol. 77, Issue 5SUP; Other Information: PBD: Nov 1999
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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