Plutonium Focus Area research and development plan. Revision 1 Page: 27 of 117
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November 1996 PLUTONIUM FOCUS AREA Technical Plan
Revision 1 RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT PLAN
Table 4.2-1. Driving Implementation Plan Milestone Requirements for Stabilization
Processes for Plutonium Solutions**ll'-J.1-UUAI INov 1996 *INov IYYD "t1J start arainng i I / i nyaroxiae tanks ana Degin
IP-3.1-022 ;Jun 1997 :Jun 1997 HAN ':Begin processing solutions at PFP.
IP-3.1-012* Oct 1999 Oct 2000 SRS Stabilization operations completed for Pu-239
"---------.solutions in.SRS's H-Canyon (34,000 liters).......
............................. ..................... .................... .. ............... ...................... 9.l t i.RS H n.00 i .r
IP-3.1-020D* Nov 1997 Nov 1997 RFETS Start draining five (5) B771 high-level tanks and
begin oxalate processing
*Proposed 94-1 IP change. ** Refer to Table 4.1.1 for description of table headings.
4.2.2 Description and Status for Stabilization Processes for Plutonium Solutions Technolo-
gies
4.2.2.1 Extraction Chromatography Pretreatment (Hanford). Removing interfering elements
(e.g., sodium, potassium) from plutonium-bearing solutions facilitates the efficiency of the
vertical calciner to convert these solutions to stable, storable solids. The EIChrom extraction
chromatography technique pretreats acid solutions of plutonium and other actinides to remove
interfering elements. Plutonium and other. actinide elements are selectively removed from acid
solutions by extracting chromatographic resins. Plutonium is extracted from solutions and
passed through a column containing the resin. The plutonium is then eluted from the resin by a
solution containing a complexant, such as citrate. Finally, the resulting plutonium solution is
converted to solid form by calcination in the vertical calciner.
The Functional Design Criteria (FDC) and the Conceptual Design Review (CDR) report were
submitted and approved by the DOE Richland Operations Office (DOE-RL) in September 1996.
Advanced Conceptual Design is underway, and the design activity for installation will be com-
plete in December, 1996 to support the milestone IP-3.1-022 start date of June 1997.
4.2.2.2 Vertical Calciner (Hanford). The Plutonium Finishing Plant (PFP) at Hanford has a
significant quantity of plutonium-bearing filtrate and product solution from weapons production
activities at the Plutonium Uranium Extraction (PUREX) facility and at PFP, as well as miscella-
neous other solutions, for a total of 4804 liters of solutions. Even if an exemption to NRC
transportation restrictions can be obtained, no approved packaging system is available to ship
plutonium-bearing solutions to other sites for disposition. The vertical calciner at Hanford has
been designed to directly convert these plutonium solutions to a stable, storable solid that mini-
mizes personnel exposures and waste production.
In the direct denitration processes used in the vertical calciner, small additions of plutonium-
bearing solutions are metered into a continuously heated and stirred bed of solids. Calcination
proceeds through rapid evaporation of liquid, denitration, and final heat treatment to stable
plutonium dioxide. The process is known to work with solutions containing plutonium, thorium,
uranium, and mixtures of these elements in concentrations ranging from 15 to 500 grams per
liter. The calciner has been successfully hot-tested using high- and low- concentration plutonium
solutions.19
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Plutonium Focus Area research and development plan. Revision 1, report, November 1, 1996; Idaho Falls, Idaho. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc678767/m1/27/: accessed April 24, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.