If the dilute and dispose approach for disposing of the surplus plutonium in the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) is fully implemented, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) should use two independent review teams to develop public trust in and improve its decisions, says a new interim report by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s plan to dilute and dispose of 34 metric tons of surplus plutonium in the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in New Mexico is technically viable, provided that the plan’s implementation challenges and system vulnerabilities are resolved.

If the dilute and dispose approach for disposing of the surplus plutonium in the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) is fully implemented, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) should use two independent review teams to develop public trust in and improve its decisions, says a new interim report by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s plan to dilute and dispose of 34 metric tons of surplus plutonium in the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in New Mexico is technically viable, provided that the plan’s implementation challenges and system vulnerabilities are resolved.

The present invention relates to a process to dissolve plutonium or a plutonium alloy, by placing it in contact with an aqueous dissolution mixture, wherein said dissolution mixture comprises nitric acid, a carboxylic acid with complexing properties with respect to plutonium, and a compound comprising at least one —NH2 radical such as urea. The invention also relates to a process to convert plutonium or a plutonium alloy into plutonium oxide and to manufacture nuclear fuel from said oxide.The invention particularly applies to the dismantling of plutonium contained in nuclear weapons with a view to its use in civilian nuclear reactors, particularly in the form of MOX fuel.

[S.l.] : SPRINGER VERLAG, SINGAPOR, 2019.

Singapore : Springer, c2019.

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