Supporting Safe Storage of Plutonium-Bearing Materials Through Science, Engineering, and Surveillance

Reductions in the size of the U.S. nuclear weapons arsenal resultedin the need to store large quantities of plutonium-bearing metalsand oxides for prolonged periods of time. To assure that the excessplutonium from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) sites wasstored in a safe and environmentally friendly manner the plutonium-bearing materials are stabilized and packaged according towell-developed criteria published as a DOE standard. The packagedmaterials are stored in secure facilities and regular surveillanceactivities are conducted to assure continuing package integrity. Thestabilization, packaging, storage, and surveillance requirementswere developed through extensive science and engineering activitiesincluding those related to plutonium-environment interactionsand container pressurization, corrosion and stress-corrosioncracking, plutonium-container material interactions, loss of sealingcapability, and changes in heat transfer characteristics. This papersummarizes some of those activities and outlines ongoing scienceand engineering programs that assure continued safe and securestorage of the plutonium-bearing metals and oxides.