Plutonium release from burning sodium

The release of PuO2 from plutonium-contaminated burning sodium and liquid sodium under a nitrogen atmosphere has been measured. Also investigated was the release of β-Na4PuO5 from burning sodium. Plutonium concentrations in the intial sodium pool ranged from 13 to 250 ppm. Plutonium dioxide concentrations in the aerosol released from the burning sodium ranged from 5.6 to 1360 ppb. The PuO2 released along with the sodium metal, when the sodium pool was heated in nitrogen at 5400C, varied from 67 to 3632 ppb. The release of β-Na4PuO5 from burning sodium was very small and could only be detected using nuclear track techniques and extended alpha counting