Plutonium and americium processing chemistry and technology

Plutonium processing in the USA originated at Hanford and Los Alamos as part of the Manhattan Project in 1943. Hanford separated plutonium from irradiated reactor fuel, whereas Los Alamos purified the plutonium, as well as recovered plutonium from residues and scrap. In the early 1950's, similar processing facilities were constructed at Savannah River and Rocky Flats. The PUREX process (tri-n-butyl phosphate extraction) is used at Hanford and Savannah River plants to separate plutonium from irradiated reactor fuel. At Los Alamos and the Rocky Flats Plant (RFP), both pyrochemical and aqueous processes are used to recover and purify plutonium. A by-product in the plutonium recovery processes is americium-241 from the beta decay of plutonium-241 present in the plutonium-239 stream. An overview of the americium and plutonium processing chemistry and technology at RFP is presented. 49 references, 3 figures