URANIUM-233 DISPOSITION, MEDICAL ISOTOPE PRODUCTION, AND BUILDING3019 COMPLEX SHUTDOWN AT OAK RIDGE, TENNESSEE

摘要

More than 1.5 tons of total uranium, including 450 kg of highly enriched 233 233U, a special nuclearrnmaterial contained in more than 1,200 canisters is stored in a Manhattan Project vintage facility.rnThe Department of Energy (DOE) determined that continuedrnU, 233 233U storage in Building 3019A atrnthe Oak Ridge National Laboratory represents a significant liability. At a minimum the materialrnhas to be repackaged to address safety issues and ultimately downblended to reduce securityrnconcerns.rnU The DOE concluded in their study of potential uses for 233 233U, documented in DOE ExcessrnMaterial Disposition Decision Memorandum No. 2, that thernU, 233 233U in Bldg 3019A is the onlyrnsource ofrnU 225 225Ac and Ac 213 213Bi in the Western hemisphere suitable for use in the treatment of cancerrn(e.g., clinical trials using the isotopes for treatment of acute myelogenous leukemia are underwayrnat the Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, NY). ThernBi 233 U stored in the buildingrnwas made from natural thorium in reactors because in the 1940s it was deemed potentially easierrnto chemically separatern233 233U from thorium than to use enrichment to separate U 235 235U from U 238 238U.rnBetween the 1940s and 1970 more than 2000 kg were produced for experimental use. Buildingrn3019A has served as the national repository forrnU.rn233 U since 1962.rnDOE developed a project to (1) process and package the 233 233U inventory in Building 3019A inrnorder to eliminate the need for safeguards, security, and nuclear criticality controls and to renderrnthe material suitable for safe, long-term, economical storage, (2) extractrnU 239 239Th during Th 233 233Urnprocessing to increase its availability for medical research and treatment, (3) operate the Buildingrn3019 Complex during thernUrn233 233U processing and medical isotope production, and (4) place thernBuilding 3019 complex in safe and stable shutdown status awaiting decontamination andrndecommissioning.rnU DOE initiated a competitive procurement to accomplish the project and awarded a contract inrnOctober 2003 to accomplish the full scope of work using a phased approach. The first phase ofrnthe project consists of equipment design and facility modifications. The second phase is tornoperate the facility, which includes the construction, installation and operation of processingrnequipment and conduct of the processing campaign. The third phase is to place the Buildingrn3019 complex in safe and stable shutdown status.