Status of U.S. Plutonium Disposition

Year
2009
Author(s)
Karyn Durbin - U.S. Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration
Karyn Durbin - U.S. Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration
Kenneth Bromberg - U.S. Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration
Kenneth Bromberg - U.S. Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration
Sam Glenn - U.S. Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration
Sam Glenn - U.S. Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration
Clay Ramsey - U.S. Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration
Abstract
As part of a multibillion dollar effort to dispose of surplus U.S. weapons plutonium, the DOE/NNSA is building two facilities at the Savannah River Site (SRS) near Aiken, South Carolina: a Mixed Oxide (MOX) Fuel Fabrication Facility to fabricate plutonium oxide into MOX fuel; and a Waste Solidification Building (WSB) to process certain liquid waste streams from the MOX facility and pit disassembly operations. Once the MOX fuel has been irradiated in nuclear reactors, the plutonium is no longer readily usable for nuclear weapons. Construction of the MOX facility began in August 2007 and construction of the WSB began in December 2008. Both construction projects are progressing well and according to the established cost and schedule baselines. This paper will focus mainly on the MOX facility construction project and will discuss NNSA’s experiences including coordination with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, working with NQA-1 qualified vendors, and the status of the lead test assembly program.