In THORP Plutonium will have
a special store in powder form.PLUTONIUM is a silvery, warm to touch isotope (radioactive element) which can only be produced by man, it does not occur naturally. It corrodes very quickly and is liable to sudden transitions.
Nations such as Britain have sought plutonium
for its awesome weapons power. This was the raison d’être
for nuclear reprocessing. The only way a state can be a nuclear
weapons state is by having a uranium enrichment facility (BNFL
Capenhurst in Cheshire) and a reprocessing facility. There are
now two reprocessing facilities at Sellafield; B205 for handling
older Magnox fuel and THORP for oxide fuels. Often stored by BNF
as plutonium oxide, presumably a bit more stable in this state!
First stored B277 inside tighter security fence,covered by cameras.
Now at Sellafield in mini-vaults. These Mini vaults holding most
of Britain's plutonium were filmed first time in Charles Stuarts
"Inside Sellafield' screened on Channel Four in November
1989.(See picture) In THORP Plutonium will have
a special store in powder form.
So far the world has produced 700 tonnes
of PU. The UK has stockpiled 65 tonnes. Sellafield produces about
1.5 tonnes a year and hopes THORP will produce 6 tonnes p.a. It
is stored as Plutonium oxide.
Information
2007/8 on inventory of uranium/plutonium held by NDA.
In MOX fuel one tonne MOX is 6.7 kilo
U235 with 38.6 kilo plutonium and 954 kilo U238. Some PWRs can
run a quarter load MOX, however British Energy has cautioned that
they are not keen to use MOX because of increased safety shielding
needed at various locations. This view that plutonium was not
to be used in UK reactors was stated in House of Lords, HL Paper
41(1999)p62. July 1987, Michael Spicer, then Energy Secretary
said;"The balance of plutonium produced in the CEGB's Magnox
reactors was consigned to the UK-US defence agreement as stated
by the Prime Minister on April 21, 1964, and was used by the US
for civil purposes.Because of the barter arrangements under which
plutonium is consigned it would not be in the national interest
to publish these figures." Plutonium discharges to sea from
Sellafield have fallen from 50 tera Bequerels in 1979 to 2.7 in
1986.(source H. of Commons) The levels have been reduced considerably
by the EARP effluent treatment plant at Sellafield. However as
plutonium has a half-life of 27,000 years the deposits in the
seabed and mudflats around the Irish Sea shores will retain this
legacy of Sellafield well into the next millennium. The government
appointed RWMAC committee stated in May 1999: "RWMAC supports
the House o Lords Select Committee recommendation that the government
should develop and declare a clear policy for the management of
the UK's stock of separated plutonium. It agrees that there can
only be a limited use for the stock in the foreseeable future
and that the remainder of the plutonium should be declared a waste
unless a credible reason for doing otherwise can be given.'' Sellafield's
plutonium can be detected in sea waters in the North Sea and on
the European coast.
*BNFL wants to use its Sellafield MOX plant as a way to use up
some of the plutonium. The MOX plant cost £470 million to
build. It was finished in 1996 but the plant lay idle until October
3 2001 when government gave approval to open it. However Green
opponents are still opposed to the use of the plutonium fuel.
British Energy, which operates all the UK's newer AGR nuclear
reactors said Sept 97 it would be "difficult, if not impossible''
to use BNFL's newer MOX nuclear fuel, which contains plutonium.
Possible extra details on plutonium can
be found in;
The Plutonium Business by Walter Patterson (Paladin) ISBN D58608482-7
