Appendix A: Technical Bases for Stabilization, Packaging and Storage of Plutonium-Bearing Materials

DOE-STD-3013-2004

APPENDIX A

Technical Bases for Stabilization, Packaging and Storage of

Plutonium-Bearing Materials

This appendix summarizes the technical bases for the criteria in the body of this Standard. The

section numbers in this appendix correspond to the section numbers in the body of the

Standard.

The intent of this appendix is to provide the logic underlying the technical bases, to summarize

the salient technical points and to provide guidance where applicable. The reader is directed to

the primary technical source information for the technical details.

A.1. Scope

This Standard establishes criteria for stabilization, packaging, and safe storage of plutonium-

bearing metal and oxides at DOE facilities. Storage packages that meet these criteria should

maintain their integrity (i.e., should not require repackaging) for a minimum of 50 years.

This Standard applies to plutonium-bearing oxides and metals containing at least 30 wt%

plutonium plus uranium. It may be used for metallic weapons components, including those that

are classified, but it is not intended for pits. The scope of DOE-STD-3013-96 [USDOE 1996] is

limited to materials containing at least 50 wt% plutonium. Information developed since the

issuance of that standard demonstrates that a broader range of oxide materials, including those

with lower plutonium assays, stabilized in accordance with the criteria of this Standard, can be

packaged and stored safely. Stabilization data gathered from the Materials Identification and

Surveillance (MIS) program and other information sources for oxide materials is considered

adequately robust to support selection of 30 wt% plutonium plus uranium as the lower cutoff

for this Standard. The scope for this Standard covers essentially all non-fabricated materials of

interest to Defense Programs and captures the vast majority of excess materials that will be

accepted by the Materials Disposition Program for disposition [USDOE 1998] or conversion to a

mixed plutonium-uranium oxide.