Weapons plutonium: Just can it
- Nuclear Control Institute, Washington, DC (United States)
The dilemma plaguing the U.S. Energy Department (DOE) in dealing with 50 years of manufacturing nuclear weapons is choosing a way to dispose of surplus warhead plutonium. The Clinton administration pledged in March 1995 to dispose of approximately 200 metric tons of highly enriched uranium and plutonium. It was later disclosed that this included 38.2 tons of plutonium, of which 21.3 will be drawn from the Defense Department inventory. The DOE anticipates that eventually about 50 metric tons of plutonium, half from weapons components, will be made available for disposition. This implies that virtually all U.S. separated plutonium not in pit form, as well as about 35-40 percent of existing pits, will be considered surplus. Two disposition methods are under consideration. The first is {open_quotes}immobilization{close_quotes} - converting the plutonium into a stable and proliferation-resistant form. The other is converting it to mixed-oxide (MOX) reactor fuel, which would be burned in existing power reactors. The {open_quotes}MOX option{close_quotes} appears to have a great deal of support, but any fair comparison of the two disposal options will show that the immobilization process is less costly, could be started and completed more rapidly, would have a smaller environmental impact, and would require less intensive security and safeguards. In addition, immobilization carries none of the negative political baggage of MOX, the use of which would likely be interpreted as an abandonment of the long-standing U.S. anti-proliferation policy opposing the commercial use of plutonium.
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- OSTI ID:
- 486339
- Journal Information:
- Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, Vol. 52, Issue 6; Other Information: PBD: Nov-Dec 1996
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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