Plutonium Metal Interlaboratory Comparison Program

The Rocky Flats Plutonium (Pu) Metal and Isotopic Exchange programs were conducted in the past to insure the quality and intercomparability of measurements such as Pu assay, Pu isotopic and impurity analyses. These programs were discontinued after more than 30 years in 1989. Recently, Los Alamos National Laboratory has resurrected the Pu metal exchange program. In the first year, five DOE facilities (Argonne - East, Argonne - West, Livermore, Los Alamos, and New Brunswick Laboratory ) and the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) at Aldermaston are participating in this program. Plutonium metal samples are currently being prepared and distributed to the various sites primarily for destructive measurements for elemental concentration, isotopic abundance and both metallic and nonmetallic impurity levels. The program is intended to provide independent verification of analytical measurement capability for each participating facility and allow problems to be identified. The roles and responsibilities of LANL and the external laboratories will be discussed. Preliminary specifications on the materials used in the program will be presented and discussed.