Storage and Containment - doe-std-1128-98

DOE-STD-1128-98

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

Cs2PuC16or 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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