Savannah River Downblending Program for Surplus, Non-Pit Plutonium

Year
2016
Author(s)
Jeffrey S. Allender - Savannah River National Laboratory
Richard E. Koenig - Savannah River National Laboratory
Kenneth Fuller - Savannah River National Laboratory
Janice L. Lawson - Savannah River Nuclear Solutions
Abstract
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) will prepare surplus plutonium for permanent disposition. Under a Record of Decision for the Surplus Plutonium Disposition Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement, the preferred alternative for up to 6 metric tons (MT) of material that is unsuitable for potential use in mixed oxide (MOX) fuel is to down blend the plutonium to a form where it is very difficult to recover actinides, and dispose of the packaged product as transuranic waste at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant.