Plutonium Storage Facilities

DOE-HDBK-1132-99

hazardous chemicals before release to the environment. The concentrator

bottom should be collected and solidified in containers with content meeting the

waste acceptance criteria of existing or potential waste disposal site(s).

Explosive or highly flammable materials should not be stored in proximity to

these wastes. U.S. NRC R.G. 3.10, Liquid Waste Treatment System Design

Guide for Plutonium Processing and Fuel Fabrication Plants, provides useful

guidance that should be considered.

2.2

PLUTONIUM STORAGE FACILITIES .

2.2.1

Introduction . PSFs typically contain strategic amounts of plutonium. The

guidance contained in this section applies to facilities where strategic amounts of

plutonium or significant quantities of other transuranic radionuclides, such as

neptunium and californium, are stored. This section does not apply to "n

process"or "n use"material, to material in assembly cells for use in weapons, or

to material that is packaged in approved containers awaiting either transportation

or disposition upon receipt.

238

Note that

Pu presents special design challenges because of its high specific

activity. Those considerations are not addressed here.

2.2.2

Design Considerations . The design of PSFs should accommodate all planned

plutonium handling and storage activities (e.g., analysis, shipping and receiving

operations, packaging, and unpackaging). Provisions should be made to

minimize the build-up of packaged materials or packaging materials. Receiving

operations involving removal of radioactive material from protective shipping

containers should be performed in an unpackaging room.

Facility design, to the maximum extent practical, should:

provide sufficient versatility to accommodate equipment for programmatic

changes and modifications and for multi-shift operations,

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