Plutonium and tritium produced in the Hanford Site production reactors

Technical Report · Wed Sep 28 04:00:00 EDT 1994

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/10190792· OSTI ID:10190792

Roblyer, S P

In a news release on December 7, 1993, the Secretary of Energy announced declassification action that included totals for plutonium and tritium production in the Hanford Site production reactors. This information was reported as being preliminary because it was not fully supported by documentation. Subsequently, production data were made available from the US Department of Energy-Headquarters (DOE-HQ) records that indicated an increase of about one and one-half metric tons in total plutonium production. The Westinghouse Hanford Company was tasked by the US Department of Energy-Richland Operations Office to substantiate production figures and DOE-HQ data and to provide a defensible report of weapons- (6 wt% {sup 240}Pu) and nonweapons- (fuels-)grade (nominally 9 wt% or higher {sup 240}Pu) plutonium and tritium production in the Hanford Site production reactors. The task was divided into three parts. The first part was to determine plutonium and tritium production based on available reported accountability records. The second part was to determine plutonium production independently by calculational checks based on reactor thermal power generation and plutonium conversion factors representing the various reactor fuels. The third part was to resolve differences, if they occurred, in the reported and calculational results. In summary, the DOE-HQ-reported accountability records of plutonium and tritium production were determined to be the most defensible record of Hanford Site reactor production. The DOE-HQ records were consistently supported by the independent calculational checks and the records of operational data. Total production quantities are 67.4 MT total plutonium, which includes 12.9 MT of nonweapons-grade plutonium. The total tritium production was 10.6 kg.

• Research Organization: Westinghouse Hanford Co., Richland, WA (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AC06-87RL10930
• OSTI ID: 10190792
• Report Number(s): WHC-SD-CP-RPT--014; ON: DE95001835; BR: 35AF11201/35AF11202
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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