Behavior of plutonium oxide particulates in a simulated Florida environment
The behavior of /sup 238/Pu oxide particles (20 to 74 ..mu..m in diameter) deposited on a soil surface was studied by using an environmental test chamber. The soil was obtained from Florida orange groves, and the chamber was set up to simulate a Florida climate. After more than 9 months and more than 60 simulated rainfalls, the plutonium oxide particles remained on top of the soil and showed no evidence of having moved down into the soil column. Plutonium was released into the soil drainages at the rate of 18 ng/m/sup 2//L. This release, which represents a minute portion of the source, appears to correlate with the volume of the drainage rather than with time and probably consists of plutonium attached to very fine soil particles. The average concentration of plutonium observed in the air was 7 fCi/L, which on an absolute basis, represents 8 x 10/sup -12/% of the source material. Thus the generation of airborne plutonium constitutes an insignificant release pathway in terms of the original source. However, the air concentration during, and especially at the beginning of, a rainfall was typically much higher (1400 fCi/L). This concentration decayed rapidly after the end of the rainfall. These results are compared with those from past experiments, and their implications are discussed.
- Research Organization:
- Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-36
- OSTI ID:
- 6500698
- Report Number(s):
- LA-10498-MS; ON: DE86003298
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: Portions of this document are illegible in microfiche products. Original copy available until stock is exhausted
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
PLUTONIUM 238
RADIONUCLIDE MIGRATION
PLUTONIUM OXIDES
RADIOISOTOPE HEAT SOURCES
ACCIDENTS
SOILS
RAIN
ACTINIDE COMPOUNDS
ACTINIDE ISOTOPES
ACTINIDE NUCLEI
ALPHA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
ATMOSPHERIC PRECIPITATIONS
CHALCOGENIDES
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
HEAT SOURCES
HEAVY NUCLEI
ISOTOPES
MASS TRANSFER
NUCLEI
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PLUTONIUM COMPOUNDS
PLUTONIUM ISOTOPES
RADIOISOTOPES
TRANSURANIUM COMPOUNDS
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
NESDPS Office of Nuclear Energy Space and Defense Power Systems
070300* - Isotopic Power Supplies
510301 - Environment
Terrestrial- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport- Soil- (-1987)