Storage and Containment - STD-1128-98master0057

DOE-STD-1128-98

Guide of Good Practices for Occupational Radiological Protection in Plutonium Facilities

2.7

STORAGE AND CONTAINMENT

The DOE mission for utilization and storage of nuclear materials has recently changed as a result

of the end of the "Cold War" era. Past and current plutonium storage practices largely reflect a

temporary, in-process, or in-use storage condition which must now be changed to accommodate

longer-term storage.

The DOE has sponsored a number of workshops on disposing of plutonium. Two of the

objectives of these workshops have been to make recommendations for near-term and long-term

storage forms and to identify possible alternatives. At the Hanford Plutonium Disposition

Workshop held in Richland, Washington, from June 16 to 18, 1992, the two highest ranking

stabilization processes were, first, denitration of plutonium nitrate, and, second, thermal

stabilization. The third-ranked process included the precipitation of Cs2PuC16 or K4Pu(SO4)4

followed by thermal stabilization (Hoyt, 1993). At the workshop on plutonium storage sponsored

by DOE Albuquerque, on May 26 and 27, 1993, both metal and oxide were considered suitable

storage forms. A report has been issued summarizing information presented here and resulting

from this workshop (DOE, 1994a). This important report includes sections on:

materials properties relevant to storage;

current storage practice (DOE Facilities, RFP, LANL, Hanford, SRS, and ANL);

advanced storage concepts;

hazard analysis; and

recommendations.

A report entitled "Technical Issues in Interim Plutonium Storage" by J. C. Martz, J. M. Haschke,

and M. C. Bryuson, LANL, submitted to Arms Control and Nonproliferation Technologies,

attempts to provide a technical basis for addressing complex interfaces with political and

economic issues. Its goal is to identify alternative storage options for excess plutonium.

Currently, DOE is circulating Draft Interim Recommendations for Storage of Plutonium Metal

and Plutonium Oxide at Department of Energy Facilities. The principal difference between

interim and long-term storage is the need for transfer of plutonium from a contaminated glovebox

environment into an improved, hermetically sealed storage container without the inclusion of

plastic or other organic materials. Existing storage and handling requirements for plutonium

metal and oxides are currently covered in DOE Order 460.1A (DOE, 1996b).

The following property summaries adapted from Haschke and Martz (1993), are useful for

determining potentially unsuitable storage and containment conditions for plutonium metal and

oxide. Given that plutonium metal is chemically reactive in air and other environments, it also:

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