Process Description

DOE-HDBK-3010-94

Appendix B; Plutonium Recovery Facility

2.2 P R O C E S S D E S C R I PT I ON

2.2.1 O verview

Figure B.5 provides a basic flowpath for facility processing operations. H Plant accepts

plutonium oxide, metal, or residue received from outside the plant as well as certain high

assay residues generated by plant operation. Oxides and residues receive initial processing in

the feed preparation glovebox, where small metal scrap can be burned to oxide and

recoverable residue chunks are reduced in size. A chainveyor takes these materials in

packaged batches to the appropriate dissolution lines. Metal returns for recycle processing

require no initial handling and are introduced into the metal dissolution glovebox directly by

means of an airlock on the maintenance side.

The dissolution line is composed of three gloveboxes in series with each box being a

complete glovebox. Therefore, although physically joined, there is no means of passing

material from one glovebox to the other. The first two gloveboxes in the line are the oxide

and residue gloveboxes, which use a nitric acid dissolution process. The third glovebox is

the metal line, which uses a sulfamic acid dissolution process. Upon completion of the

dissolution and accountability measurement process, plutonium-bearing solutions are pumped

via glovebox gear pumps to Tanks #1 through #6 located in the tank farm on the maintenance

side of the wet processing line.

The wet processing line is a continuous line composed of three gloveboxes (ion exchange,

H2O2 precipitation, and evaporation) joined together in the same fashion as the dissolving

line, although there is a piping transfer line passing from the precipitation line to the

evaporation line. All of the direct contact process and waste liquid tanks are stored in walled

enclosures on the maintenance side of the wet processing line to minimize chances of

contaminating multiple rooms and to provide proximity to a central sampling glovebox.

After appropriate chemical adjustments, the dissolver solutions are transferred through the

ion exchange columns. Product eluate is transferred to tanks #7 and #8, while waste effluent

and wash solutions go to tanks #9 through #12. The acid concentration of the eluate is

increased, and then it is transferred to the feed evaporator in the evaporation glovebox. The

plutonium concentration of the liquid is increased in the evaporator to a level sufficient to

obtain good product yield in precipitation. The evaporator bottoms are transferred to tanks

#13 and #14 to serve as precipitator feed, while the distillate is transferred to tanks #17

through #19 to await transfer to the H-8 liquid waste handling facility.

The precipitation line makes a peroxide cake out of the plutonium in solution. This cake is

dumped automatically in holding containers from a rotary drum filter and then manually

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