Skip to main content
OSTI.GOVU.S. Department of Energy Office of Scientific and Technical Information
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information
 

Plutonium scrap processing at the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory

Conference ·
OSTI ID:5655276
; ;
The Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory currently has the newest plutonium handling facility in the nation. Los Alamos has been active in the processing of plutonium almost since the discovery of this man-made element in 1941. One of the functions of the new facility is the processing of plutonium scrap generated at LASL and other sites. The feed for the scrap processing program is extremely varied, and a wide variety of contaminants are often encountered. Depending upon the scrap matrix and contaminants present, the majority of material receives a nitric acid/hydrofluoric acid or nitric acid/calcium fluoride leach. The plutonium nitrate solutions are then loaded onto an anion exchange column charged with DOWEX 1 x 4, 50 to 100 mesh, nitrate form resin. The column is eluted with 0.48 M hydroxyl amine nitrate. The Pu(NO/sub 3/)/sub 3/ is then precipitated as plutonium III oxalate which is calcined at 450 to 500/sup 0/C to yield a purified PuO/sub 2/ product.
Research Organization:
Los Alamos Scientific Lab., NM (USA)
DOE Contract Number:
W-7405-ENG-36
OSTI ID:
5655276
Report Number(s):
LA-UR-80-835; CONF-800303-12
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

Similar Records

Status of /sup 241/Am recovery and purification at Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory
Conference · Mon Dec 31 23:00:00 EST 1979 · OSTI ID:5167775
Decontamination of concrete surfaces at the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory
Conference · Mon Dec 31 23:00:00 EST 1979 · OSTI ID:5377777
Separation of thorium impurity from plutonium in the nitrate anion exchange process
Technical Report · Fri Mar 31 23:00:00 EST 1989 · OSTI ID:6437364

Related Subjects

050700 -- Nuclear Fuels-- Fuels Production & Properties
052001* -- Nuclear Fuels-- Waste Processing
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
360201 -- Ceramics
Cermets
& Refractories-- Preparation & Fabrication
38 RADIATION CHEMISTRY, RADIOCHEMISTRY, AND NUCLEAR CHEMISTRY
400703 -- Radiochemistry & Nuclear Chemistry-- Radioisotope Production
ACTINIDE COMPOUNDS
ALKALINE EARTH METAL COMPOUNDS
ANIONS
CALCINATION
CALCIUM COMPOUNDS
CALCIUM FLUORIDES
CALCIUM HALIDES
CHALCOGENIDES
CHARGED PARTICLES
CHEMICAL PREPARATION
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
DECOMPOSITION
FLUORIDES
FLUORINE COMPOUNDS
HALIDES
HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
HIGH TEMPERATURE
HYDROFLUORIC ACID
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
INORGANIC ACIDS
ION EXCHANGE
IONS
MANAGEMENT
NITRATES
NITRIC ACID
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PLUTONIUM COMPOUNDS
PLUTONIUM DIOXIDE
PLUTONIUM NITRATES
PLUTONIUM OXIDES
PRECIPITATION
PROCESSING
PURIFICATION
PYROLYSIS
RADIOACTIVE WASTE PROCESSING
SCRAP
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SOLID WASTES
SYNTHESIS
THERMOCHEMICAL PROCESSES
TRANSURANIUM COMPOUNDS
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTE PROCESSING
WASTES