Development and Evaluation Study for the Production of 238Pu
- Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
Plutonium-238 is used as a heat source in radioisotope thermoelectric generators for deep space missions and other applications. This material can be produced by irradiating 237Np in a nuclear reactor. Studies have been undertaken at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory to evaluate the flowsheet for 237Np target fabrication and irradiated target processing. The equipment and processes are similar to those that have been used for the past 35 years at the Radiochemical Engineering Development Center (REDC) in the production of transuranium elements. Consequently, the facilities and processes designed for target fabrication and processing are based closely on the proven methods used at REDC. This report describes the processes to be used in 238Pu production. Conceptual flowsheets from previous reports have been updated and modified based on experimental results and additional evaluation. The flowsheets for recovery and separation of neptunium and plutonium are based on coextracting these two transuranics in their quadrivalent (extractable) states and then partitioning the plutonium by reducing it to inextractable Pu(III). The production of 238Pu is described from the process of target fabrication through 238Pu pellet production. For some of the process steps, more than one option has been evaluated. Additionally, an option to directly produce the 238Pu pellets has been added. This pellet production step, if adopted, would eliminate the concerns with handling dusty 238PuO2 powders.
- Research Organization:
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC05-00OR22725
- OSTI ID:
- 1867778
- Report Number(s):
- ORNL/TM-2004/174
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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