Transuranium Processing Plant semiannual report of production, status, and plans for period ending June 30, 1973

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Abstract
This is the eleventh repont in a series that is being issued semiannually to inform the heavy-element community of the status and future production plans of the Transuranium Elenient Production Program at ORNL. During the period January 1, 1973, through June 30, 1973, transuranium elements from 221/ 2 irradiated HFIR targets and from 3 Pu-Al tubes that had been irradiated at the Savannah River Plant (SRP) were recovered as part of the Californium-I program to evaluate the commercial market for /sup 252/Cf and to establish an inventory of material for sale. We purified 187 g of Californium-I curium and converted it to oxide for use in HFIR targets. Also, 1.8 mu g of /sup 254/Es, 3.24 g of 264/sup Pu/, and 12 mg of /sup 248/Cm, all of high isotopic purity, were recovered from materials previously processed. Sixty-four shipments were made from TRU during the period; recipients and the amounts of nuclides are listed in Table 2.2 on pp. 5-7. Twenty HFIR tangets, each containing 7 to 9 g of actinides (predominantly curium), were fabricated. Duning the next 18 months, we expect to recover totals of 49 mg of /sup 249/Bk, 575 mg of /sup 252/Cf, 2.3 mg of /supmore » 253/Es (in a mixt ure of isotopes), 255 mu g of isotopically pure /sup 253/Es, and 1.5 pg of /sup 257/Fm. Also, we expect to obtain 50 mg of high-purity /sup 246/Cm from purified californium now in storage. Currently, we do not plan to process any of the remaining SRP Pu-Al tubes or to irradiate any plutonium targets in the HFIR; thus, we do not expect to recover any /sup 241/Pu. Work was done during this period to improve one of our processing steps. A new batch solvent extraction process, using 60% TBP as extractant, was tested as an alternative to the Cleanex process. Three neutron sources were fabricated, bringing the total fabricated to 63; 5 sources that had been used in various projects were returned to TRU for reassignment or reprocessing. Tests were made to determine the containment classification for Zircaloy-2 encapsulated sources, and studies relative to neutron counter dead time were made to improve neutron source calibration. (auth) « less

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