ORAU TEAM

Dose Reconstruction

Project for NIOSH

Oak Ridge Associated Universities I Dade Moeller I MJW Technical Services

Page 1 of 92

DOE Review Release 03/03/2010

Document Title:

Hanford Site – Site Description

Document Number: ORAUT-TKBS-0006-2 

Revision: 02

Effective Date: 02/22/2010

Type of Document: TBD

Supersedes: Revision 01

Subject Expert(s): Fred Duncan

Site Expert(s): Jack M. Selby and Donald E. Bihl

Approval: Signature on File Approval Date: 02/08/2010

Fred Duncan, Document Owner

Concurrence: Signature on File Concurrence Date: 02/08/2010

Chris M. Tornes, Objective 1 Representative

Concurrence: Signature on File Concurrence Date: 02/08/2010

Scott R. Siebert, Objective 3 Representative

Concurrence: Signature on File Concurrence Date: 02/09/2010

James P. Griffin, Deputy Project Director

Approval: Signature on File Approval Date: 02/22/2010

James W. Neton, Associate Director for Science

New Total Rewrite Revision Page Change

FOR DOCUMENTS MARKED AS A TOTAL REWRITE, REVISION, OR PAGE CHANGE, REPLACE THE PRIOR 

REVISION AND DISCARD / DESTROY ALL COPIES OF THE PRIOR REVISION.
Document No. ORAUT-TKBS-0006-2 Revision No. 02 Effective Date: 02/22/2010 Page 2 of 92

PUBLICATION RECORD

EFFECTIVE 

DATE

REVISION 

NUMBER DESCRIPTION

10/02/2003 00-A New document to establish the Hanford Facilities and Processes, 

Section 2, TBD. Initiated by Edward D. Scalsky.

10/02/2003 00 First approved Issue of Revision 00. Initiated by Edward D. Scalsky.

12/29/2004 00 PC-1 Added two paragraphs required by OGC on page 7. Made additional 

changes resulting from the comments received at the NIOSH/PACE 

discussion in Richland, WA on April 22, 2004. These include the 

sentence on page 11 regarding the 137Cs and 90Sr recovery 

operations, the date change from 1979 to 1978 (page 12), the 

addition of one paragraph on page 14, section 2.3.5, discussing the 

ventilation problems in Building 303-L, and the two deletions on page 

32. Initiated by Edward D. Scalsky.

Approval:

Edward D. Scalsky, Document Owner

Signature on File 12/09/2004

Judson L. Kenoyer, Task 3 Manager

Signature on File 12/09/2004

Richard E. Toohey, Project Director

Signature on File 12/09/2004

James W. Neton, Associate Director for Science

Signature on File 12/09/2004

05/17/2007 01 Approved revision initiated to include Attributions and Annotations. 

Constitutes a total rewrite of the document. Incorporates formal 

internal review comments. This revision results in no change to the 

assigned dose and no PER is required. Training required: As 

determined by the Task Manager. Initiated by Edward D. Scalsky.

02/22/2010 02 Approved revision initiated to include NIOSH data collection and 

analysis information for several new radionuclides and the areas and 

facilities and periods during which they were used. Incorporates 

formal internal and NIOSH review comments. Constitutes a total 

rewrite of the document. Training required: As determined by the 

Objective Manager. Initiated by Fred Duncan.
Document No. ORAUT-TKBS-0006-2 Revision No. 02 Effective Date: 02/22/2010 Page 3 of 92

TABLE OF CONTENTS

SECTION TITLE

Acronyms and Abbreviations ...............................................................................................................

PAGE

7

2.1 Introduction................................................................................................................................. 9

2.1.1 Purpose......................................................................................................................10

2.1.2 Scope.........................................................................................................................10

2.2 Site Activities and Processes .................................................................................................... 10

2.2.1 Reactors.....................................................................................................................11

2.2.1.1 105-B, -C, -D, -DR, -F, -H, -KW, and -KE Production Reactors .................... 11

2.2.1.2 105-N Production Reactor............................................................................ 12

2.2.1.3 305 Hanford Test Reactor............................................................................ 12

2.2.1.4 305-B Physical Constants Test Reactor....................................................... 12

2.2.1.5 305-B Thermal Test Reactor........................................................................ 12

2.2.1.6 308 TRIGA Reactor...................................................................................... 13

2.2.1.7 309 Plutonium Recycle Test Reactor ........................................................... 13

2.2.1.8 309 Plutonium Recycle Critical Facility......................................................... 13

2.2.1.9 318 High Temperature Lattice Test Reactor................................................. 13

2.2.1.10 405 Fast Flux Test Facility ........................................................................... 13

2.2.2 Fuel Separations Facilities..........................................................................................14

2.2.2.1 Original Fuel Separations Facilities .............................................................. 14

2.2.2.2 202-S REDOX Plant..................................................................................... 15

2.2.2.3 202-A PUREX Plant..................................................................................... 15

2.2.2.4 221-U U Plant .............................................................................................. 15

2.2.2.5 224-U UO3 Plant.......................................................................................... 16

2.2.2.6 225-B Waste Encapsulation and Storage Facility......................................... 16

2.2.2.7 201-C C Plant or Hot Semiworks.................................................................. 16

2.2.2.8 108-B Tritium Extraction Facility................................................................... 16

2.2.3 Fuel Fabrication Facilities ...........................................................................................16

2.2.3.1 313 Uranium Metal Fuels Fabrication Facility............................................... 17

2.2.3.2 314 Uranium Metal Extrusion Facility ........................................................... 17

2.2.3.3 333 Fuel Cladding Facility ............................................................................ 17

2.2.3.4 306 Reactor Fuel Manufacturing Pilot Plant ................................................. 18

2.2.3.5 303 Facilities Fresh Metal Storage Facilities ................................................ 18

2.2.4 Plutonium Finishing Facilities......................................................................................18

2.2.4.1 231-Z Plutonium Isolation Facility................................................................. 19

2.2.4.2 234-5Z Plutonium Finishing Plant Complex.................................................. 19

2.2.4.2.1 Rubber Glove Line...................................................................... 19

2.2.4.2.2 Remote Mechanical A Line ......................................................... 20

2.2.4.2.3 Remote Mechanical C Line......................................................... 20

2.2.4.2.4 Recovery of Uranium and Plutonium by Extraction Facility ......... 20

2.2.4.2.5 232-Z Incinerator Facility ............................................................ 20

2.2.4.2.6 236-Z Plutonium Reclamation Facility......................................... 20

2.2.4.2.7 242-Z Waste Treatment Facility .................................................. 21

2.2.4.3 Plutonium Storage Facilities......................................................................... 21

2.2.5 Research, Development, and Testing Facilities ..........................................................21

2.2.5.1 108-F Biology Facility................................................................................... 21

2.2.5.2 120 Critical Mass Laboratory Facility............................................................ 22

2.2.5.3 209-E Critical Mass Laboratory .................................................................... 22

2.2.5.4 222-B Laboratory ......................................................................................... 22

2.2.5.5 222-S Laboratory ......................................................................................... 22
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2.2.5.6 222-T Laboratory.......................................................................................... 22

2.2.5.7 308 Plutonium Fuels Pilot Plant.................................................................... 22

2.2.5.8 318 Radiological Calibration and Development Laboratory .......................... 23

2.2.5.9 320 Low-Level Radiochemistry Facility ........................................................ 23

2.2.5.10 321 Separation Facility................................................................................. 23

2.2.5.11 324 Chemical and Materials Engineering Laboratory ................................... 24

2.2.5.12 325 Radiochemistry Laboratory.................................................................... 24

2.2.5.13 326 Pile Physics Technology and Metallurgy Facility ................................... 24

2.2.5.14 327 Radiometallurgy Laboratory Facility ...................................................... 25

2.2.5.15 329 Biophysics Laboratory ........................................................................... 25

2.2.5.16 331 Life Sciences Laboratory Facility........................................................... 25

2.2.5.17 3706 Radiochemistry Laboratory.................................................................. 25

2.2.5.18 3730 Gamma Irradiation Facility................................................................... 26

2.2.5.19 3732 Process Equipment Development Laboratory...................................... 26

2.2.5.20 3741 Graphite Hot Shop Facility ................................................................... 26

2.2.5.21 3745 Radiological Calibrations and Standards Laboratory ........................... 26

2.2.6 Waste Handling Facilities ...........................................................................................27

2.2.6.1 High-Level Liquid Waste Tanks.................................................................... 27

2.2.6.2 216-Z-9 Trench Facility ................................................................................ 27

2.2.6.3 241-Z Settling Tank...................................................................................... 27

2.2.6.4 242 Evaporator Facilities.............................................................................. 28

2.2.6.5 Chemical Separations Exhaust Filtration Facilities ....................................... 28

2.2.6.6 340, 340-A and 340-B Liquid Waste Handling Buildings .............................. 28

2.2.7 Miscellaneous Areas ..................................................................................................29

2.2.7.1 700 Area ...................................................................................................... 29

2.2.7.2 3000 Area .................................................................................................... 29

2.2.7.3 1100 Area .................................................................................................... 29

2.3 Work with Radioactive Materials ............................................................................................... 29

2.3.1 Thorium ......................................................................................................................29

2.3.1.1 1940s........................................................................................................... 29

2.3.1.2 1950s........................................................................................................... 30

2.3.1.3 1960s........................................................................................................... 31

2.3.1.4 Thorium-Related Fuel Element Failures in Hanford Reactors....................... 32

2.3.2 Americium-241 ...........................................................................................................32

2.3.2.1 1940s and 1950s.......................................................................................... 32

2.3.2.2 1960s and 1970s.......................................................................................... 34

2.3.3 Neptunium..................................................................................................................35

2.3.3.1 Before 1958 ................................................................................................. 36

2.3.3.2 Work with Significant Quantities................................................................... 36

2.3.3.2.1 Separation of Neptunium from Normal Fuel ................................ 36

2.3.3.2.2 Fabrication of Neptunium Target Elements ................................. 38

2.3.3.2.3 Separation of 237Np from 238Pu After Irradiation of the 

Target Elements ......................................................................... 39

2.3.4 Promethium-147.........................................................................................................39

2.3.4.1 Research, Development, and Early Tests .................................................... 39

2.3.4.2 Major Production.......................................................................................... 40

2.3.5 Highly Enriched Uranium............................................................................................41

2.3.6 Uranium-233...............................................................................................................43

2.3.6.1 Early Irradiation of Thorium, Probably No Dissolution at Hanford................. 44

2.3.6.2 Major Production of 233U ............................................................................. 44

2.3.6.3 Research and Development......................................................................... 45
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2.3.7 Polonium-210 .............................................................................................................45

2.3.7.1 Production Chronology................................................................................. 45

2.3.7.2 Separations and Use of Polonium ................................................................ 46

2.3.8 Curium........................................................................................................................48

2.3.8.1 Research, Development, and Proposals ...................................................... 48

2.3.8.2 Major Production of Curium.......................................................................... 49

2.3.8.3 Other Research............................................................................................ 49

2.3.9 Technetium.................................................................................................................49

2.4 Attributions and Annotations ..................................................................................................... 51

References ........................................................................................................................................57

ATTACHMENT A, DESCRIPTION OF FACILITIES AND PROCESSES............................................ 82
Document No. ORAUT-TKBS-0006-2 Revision No. 02 Effective Date: 02/22/2010 Page 6 of 92

LIST OF TABLES

TABLE TITLE

2-1 Plutonium nitrate processing tasks.........................................................................................

PAGE

19

2-2 Exhaust filtration facilities....................................................................................................... 28

2-3 List of thorium fuel element failures in Hanford reactors......................................................... 33

A-1 Production reactors years of operation................................................................................... 83

A-2 Radionuclides of concern for all production reactors .............................................................. 83

A-3 Research and test reactors years of operation....................................................................... 84

A-4 Radionuclides of concern for all research and test reactors ................................................... 84

A-5 Fuel reprocessing facilities years of operation........................................................................ 84

A-6 Radionuclides of concern for all reprocessing facilities........................................................... 85

A-7 Activity composition of Hanford reference weapons-grade plutonium mixture ........................ 85

A-8 Activity composition of Hanford reference fuel-grade plutonium mixture................................. 86

A-9 Activity composition of Hanford reference commercial power fuel-grade plutonium 

mixture...................................................................................................................................86

A-10 Fuel fabrication facilities years of operation............................................................................ 88

A-11 Radionuclides of concern for all fuel fabrication and storage facilities .................................... 88

A-12 Radiological characteristics of Hanford uranium mixtures ...................................................... 88

A-13 Impurities in recycled uranium at Hanford .............................................................................. 89

A-14 Inhalation class for Hanford uranium compounds................................................................... 89

A-15 Plutonium finishing facilities years of operation ...................................................................... 90

A-16 Radionuclides of concern for plutonium finishing facilities ...................................................... 90

A-17 100 and 200 Area R&D facilities years of operation ............................................................... 91

A-18 300 Area R&D facilities years of operation ............................................................................. 91

A-19 Radionuclides of concern for all 100, 200, and 300 Area R&D facilities.................................. 91

A-20 Waste facilities years of operation.......................................................................................... 92

A-21 Radionuclides of concern for all waste facilities...................................................................... 92

A-22 Tank waste radionuclide inventory ......................................................................................... 92
Document No. ORAUT-TKBS-0006-2 Revision No. 02 Effective Date: 02/22/2010 Page 7 of 92

ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS

AEC U.S. Atomic Energy Commission

ARHCO Atlantic Richfield Hanford Company

CF commercial fuel

CFR Code of Federal Regulations

CSREX Cesium Strontium Rare Earth Extraction 

Ci curie

cpm counts per minute

D&D decontamination and decommissioning

DU depleted uranium

DOE U.S. Department of Energy

DOL U.S. Department of Labor

dpm disintegrations per minute

EEOICPA Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act of 2000

FFTF Fast Flux Test Facility

FP fission product

ft foot

g gram

gal gallon

HEPA high-efficiency particulate air

HEU highly enriched uranium

hr hour

HTLTR High Temperature Lattice Test Reactor

HTR High Temperature Reactor

ICRP International Commission for Radiological Protection

in. inch

INL Idaho National Laboratory

kVp applied kilovoltage; peak kilovoltage

kCi kilocurie

kg kilogram

kW kilowatt

L liter

lb pound

m meter

MCi megacurie

mCi millicurie

MeV megaelectron-volt

mg milligram

mi mile

mL milliliter

mrem millirem

MW megawatt
Document No. ORAUT-TKBS-0006-2 Revision No. 02 Effective Date: 02/22/2010 Page 8 of 92

n neutron

nCi nanocurie

NIOSH National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

NU natural uranium

ORAU Oak Ridge Associated Universities

ORNL Oak Ridge National Laboratory

pCi picocurie

PCTR Physical Constants Test Reactor

PFP Plutonium Finishing Plant

PFPP Plutonium Fuels Pilot Plant

POC probability of causation

PNNL Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

ppb parts per billion

ppm parts per million

PRCF Plutonium Recycle Critical Facility

PRF Plutonium Reclamation Facility

PRTR Plutonium Recycle Test Reactor

PUREX Plutonium-Uranium Extraction (Plant)

PUREX 1WW First cycle waste from the PUREX Plant

QA quality assurance

R&D research and development

RECUPLEX recovery of uranium and plutonium by extraction

REDOX Reduction-Oxidation (Plant)

RG Rubber Glove (Line)

RMA Remote Mechanical A (Line)

RMC Remote Mechanical C (Line)

RU recycled uranium

s second

SRDB Ref ID Site Research Database Reference Identification (number) 

SRS Savannah River Site

TBD technical basis document

THOREX thorium extraction

TRIGA Training, Research, Isotopes, General Atomics (Reactor)

TTR Thermal Test Reactor

U.S.C. United States Code

W watt

wt% weight percent

α alpha particle

μCi microcurie

μg microgram

§ section or sections
Document No. ORAUT-TKBS-0006-2 Revision No. 02 Effective Date: 02/22/2010 Page 9 of 92

2.1 INTRODUCTION

Technical basis documents and site profile documents are not official determinations made by the 

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) but are rather general working 

documents that provide historic background information and guidance to assist in the preparation of 

dose reconstructions at particular sites or categories of sites. They will be revised in the event 

additional relevant information is obtained about the affected site(s). These documents may be used 

to assist NIOSH staff in the completion of the individual work required for each dose reconstruction.

In this document the word “facility” is used as a general term for an area, building, or group of 

buildings that served a specific purpose at a site. It does not necessarily connote an “atomic weapons 

employer facility” or a “Department of Energy [DOE] facility” as defined in the Energy Employees 

Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act [EEOICPA; 42 U.S.C. § 7384l(5) and (12)]. 

EEOICPA defines a DOE facility as “any building, structure, or premise, including the grounds upon 

which such building, structure, or premise is located ... in which operations are, or have been, 

conducted by, or on behalf of, the Department of Energy (except for buildings, structures, premises, 

grounds, or operations ... pertaining to the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program)” [42 U.S.C. 

§ 7384l(12)]. Accordingly, except for the exclusion for the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program noted 

above, any facility that performs or performed DOE operations of any nature whatsoever is a DOE 

facility encompassed by EEOICPA.

For employees of DOE or its contractors with cancer, the DOE facility definition only determines 

eligibility for a dose reconstruction, which is a prerequisite to a compensation decision (except for 

members of the Special Exposure Cohort). The compensation decision for cancer claimants is based 

on a section of the statute entitled “Exposure in the Performance of Duty.” That provision [42 U.S.C. 

§ 7384n(b)] says that an individual with cancer “shall be determined to have sustained that cancer in 

the performance of duty for purposes of the compensation program if, and only if, the cancer ... was 

at least as likely as not related to employment at the facility [where the employee worked], as 

determined in accordance with the POC [probability of causation1

The statute also includes a definition of a DOE facility that excludes “buildings, structures, premises, 

grounds, or operations covered by Executive Order No. 12344, dated February 1, 1982 (42 U.S.C. 

7158 note), pertaining to the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program” [42 U.S.C. § 7384l(12)]. While this 

definition excludes Naval Nuclear Propulsion Facilities from being covered under the Act, the section 

of EEOICPA that deals with the compensation decision for covered employees with cancer [i.e., 42 

U.S.C. § 7384n(b), entitled “Exposure in the Performance of Duty”] does not contain such an 

exclusion. Therefore, the statute requires NIOSH to include all occupationally-derived radiation 

exposures at covered facilities in its dose reconstructions for employees at DOE facilities, including 

radiation exposures related to the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program. As a result, all internal and 

external occupational radiation exposures are considered valid for inclusion in a dose reconstruction. 

No efforts are made to determine the eligibility of any fraction of total measured exposure for inclusion 

in dose reconstruction. NIOSH, however, does not consider the following exposures to be 

occupationally derived (NIOSH 2007):

] guidelines established under 

subsection (c) ...” [42 U.S.C. § 7384n(b)]. Neither the statute nor the probability of causation 

guidelines (nor the dose reconstruction regulation, 42 C.F.R. Pt. 82) define “performance of duty” for 

DOE employees with a covered cancer or restrict the “duty” to nuclear weapons work (NIOSH 2007).

• Background radiation, including radiation from naturally occurring radon present in 

conventional structures

 

1 The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) is ultimately responsible under the EEOICPA for determining the POC.
Document No. ORAUT-TKBS-0006-2 Revision No. 02 Effective Date: 02/22/2010 Page 10 of 92

• Radiation from X-rays received in the diagnosis of injuries or illnesses or for therapeutic 

reasons

2.1.1

The purpose of this TBD is to provide a description of the Hanford Site that contains technical basis 

information for use by the Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU) Team to evaluate the total 

occupational dose for EEOICPA claimants. This TBD is part of the Hanford Site Profile; it describes 

the facilities and processes, the use of radionuclides significant for dose reconstruction, and historical 

information about the programs and operations on the Hanford Site. It contains technical information 

to assist dose reconstructors in the reconstruction of radiological doses workers might have received 

dating back to the 1940s.

Purpose

The Hanford Site played an important role in the development of the U.S. nuclear weapons program. 

During the Manhattan Project, the site was the Hanford Engineering Works; other names during the 

site’s history include the Hanford Works, Hanford Reservation, and most recently Hanford Site. This 

document refers to the Hanford Site or simply Hanford. Operations at the site included the 

construction of nine reactors to produce plutonium for weapons and seven physical testing, research, 

and demonstration reactors. Facilities for the separation of uranium and plutonium, for uranium and 

tritium extraction, and for many support functions evolved over the years.

2.1.2

Section 2.2 provides the history of the Hanford Site facilities and the activities that took place in them. 

Section 2.3 provides the history of certain, but not all, processes in relation to radionuclides or to 

special mixtures [e.g., highly enriched uranium (HEU)] that were in addition to and generally on a 

much smaller scale than the main processes that were involved in creation and extraction of 

plutonium and recycling of uranium. There is some redundancy between the two parts. Attachment A 

is a condensed summary of the activities and radioactive material work at the Hanford Site facilities.

Scope

Attributions and annotations, indicated by bracketed callouts and used to identify the source, 

justification, or clarification of the associated information, are presented in Section 2.4.

2.2 SITE ACTIVITIES AND PROCESSES

Construction of facilities at the Hanford Site, an area of approximately 600 mi2

, commenced in March 

1943, when several major nuclear facilities were started. These included 105-B (Production Reactor), 

221-T (Separation Facility), 305 (Test Pile), and 313 (Fuel Element Fabrication). The production 

reactors, designed to produce plutonium by irradiating metallic uranium, were constructed in the 100 

Areas along the Columbia River on the north side of the site. The separation facilities were built in the 

200 Areas on a high plateau in the center of the site. The fuel fabrication facilities, test reactors, and 

research and development (R&D) laboratories were built in the 300 Area on the south side of the site. 

The facilities discussed in the following sections represent those facilities out of more than 500 major 

facilities where nuclear activities were conducted.

Throughout this document, an asterisk (*) after a date indicates either that there were two dates found 

during the research or that the actual year during the decade was not found in the documents. The 

dates this document gives in these cases are the most favorable to claimants. In addition, if “19UNK” 

is used, a date has not been found.
Document No. ORAUT-TKBS-0006-2 Revision No. 02 Effective Date: 02/22/2010 Page 11 of 92

The main sources of information for the following sections are several Hanford Site histories. They 

include Author unknown (undated), Ballinger and Hall (1991), Carlisle and Zenzen (1996), DOE 

(undated), Gerber (1992, 1993a,b,c, ca. 1994, 1996, 2005), Marceau et al. (2002), Selby and Soldat 

(1958), Wilson (1987) and Wilson et al. (1990). Other sources are noted as appropriate.

2.2.1

Nine graphite-moderated, light-water-cooled reactors were constructed near the Columbia River in the 

Hanford 100 Areas over a period of 20 years commencing in 1943 [1]. The production reactors were 

used to produce plutonium by irradiating metallic uranium fuel elements with neutrons during the 

fission reaction in the reactor core. Other defense-related radionuclides that were experimented with 

included irradiation of thorium to produce 233U, irradiation of depleted uranium to produce 240Pu, 

irradiation of neptunium targets to produce 238Pu, and irradiation of americium to produce medicalgrade 238Pu. These nine production reactors, designated 100-B, -C, -D, -DR, -F, -H, -KW, -KE, and -

N, were constructed in the B, D, F, H, K, and N Areas, respectively, from 1944 to 1963. The first eight 

reactors at Hanford, designated 105-B, -C, -D, -DR, -F, -H, -KW, and -KE, were similar in design, 

using a once-through, light-water cooling system. The ninth reactor, 105-N, used a closed-loop, lightwater cooling system. The years of operation and radionuclides of concern are listed in Tables A-1 

and A-2, respectively, in Attachment A. External exposures are primarily due to the presence of 

activation and fission products (FPs). During operation, entry was controlled into areas where high 

direct dose rates from photons and neutrons could occur. Internal exposures to uranium, activation 

products, and FPs were primarily limited to maintenance and refueling activities.

Reactors

In addition, seven physical testing, research, and demonstration reactors were operated at Hanford 

over a period of 40 years [2]. Six research and test reactors in the 300 Area were constructed and 

operated from 1943 to 1978. These include the 305 Hanford Test Reactor (HTR), Physical Constants 

Test Reactor (PCTR), Thermal Test Reactor (TTR), Plutonium Recycle Test Reactor (PRTR), 

Plutonium Recycle Critical Facility (PRCF), and High Temperature Lattice Test Reactor (HTLTR) 

(Newman 1989). The Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF) Reactor was constructed and operated from 

1979 to 1993 in the 400 Area. The years of operation and radionuclides of concern are listed in 

Tables A-3 and A-4, respectively, in Attachment A.

2.2.1.1 105-B, -C, -D, -DR, -F, -H, -KW, and -KE Production Reactors

The first three reactors (100-B, -D, and -F) were built in B, D, and F Areas starting in August, 

November, and December 1943, respectively. B Reactor commenced operation in September 1944. 

The D and F Reactors commenced operation in December 1944 and February 1945, respectively. In 

addition to producing plutonium for nuclear weapons, the reactors produced polonium for use as a 

neutron source in the weapons. By May 1945, four of the tubes in D Reactor were charged with 

bismuth slugs for polonium production. Construction of DR Reactor, in D Area, was started in 

December 1947, with startup commencing in October 1950. H Reactor was constructed in H Area 

starting in March 1948, with startup in October 1949. Construction of C Reactor in B Area 

commenced in June 1951, with startup in November 1952. The KW and KE Reactors were 

constructed in the KW and KE Areas starting in November 1952 and January 1953, respectively. 

They commenced operation in December 1954 and February 1955, respectively. These eight 

reactors were graphite-moderated and single-pass-cooled with treated river water. The first three 

reactors (B, D, and F) had the same design. The remaining five reactors (DR, H, C, KW, and KE) 

were similar in design, with the KE and KW reactors differing primarily in the number, size, and type of 

process tubes; the size of the graphite stack; and the type of shielding.
Document No. ORAUT-TKBS-0006-2 Revision No. 02 Effective Date: 02/22/2010 Page 12 of 92

The fuel elements were metallic uranium clad with aluminum [3]. In 1960, confinement systems were 

incorporated in the first eight reactors. These reactors were shut down over a period of years starting 

in 1964 and ending in 1971. See Table A-1 for shutdown dates.

2.2.1.2 105-N Production Reactor

Construction of 105-N (the ninth production reactor) was started in N Area in 1959. The N Reactor 

design was based on the original graphite production reactors. However, it differed substantially from 

the first eight because it incorporated closed-loop cooling and it was the first Hanford reactor to 

incorporate a confinement system in the original design. It was designed to be a dual-purpose reactor 

(i.e., to produce both plutonium and steam to be used to generate power). The dual-purpose reactor 

started producing plutonium in March 1964 and electrical power some time later. The N Reactor fuel 

was a tube-in-tube design that consisted of a metallic uranium core with thin Zircaloy-2 cladding. The 

core consisted of an inner tube of 0.95%-enriched 235U and an outer tube of either 0.95%- or 

1.25%-enriched 235U. From 1965 to 1967, tritium was produced at N Reactor using fuel elements that 

were manufactured in the 333 Building. The N Reactor was shut down in 1987.

2.2.1.3 305 Hanford Test Reactor

The 305 HTR (also called the Test Pile) in the 305 Building was the first reactor to operate at Hanford, 

starting in 1943. It was operated until 1972 at a very low critical level (usually less than 50 W) to test 

fuel elements, fuel configuration, graphite samples, and other materials for the production reactors. It 

was used as a quality assurance (QA) tool to house testing of samples of each lot of graphite, 

uranium, aluminum jacketing material, and other materials that were used in the large production 

reactors. The reactor consisted of a graphite pile and was air-cooled. It was removed from the 

305 Building in 1976 and 1977.

2.2.1.4 305-B Physical Constants Test Reactor

The PCTR started operation in 1954. The 800-W test reactor was in a shielded room in the 305-B 

Building. The mission of the PCTR was to measure reactor changes as a result of use of different 

reactor fuels. Some plutonium contamination that occurred in the reactor room as a result of an 

accident could have been the source of minor internal exposure during cleanup. External exposure 

was negligible because the reactor was in a shielded underground room and remotely operated. 

Operation was terminated in 1970.

2.2.1.5 305-B Thermal Test Reactor

The TTR started operation in 1954. The 1-KW reactor was in a shielded underground room in the 

305-B Building and remotely operated. The mission of the TTR was to measure thermal impact on 

fission cross-sections. It functioned as an early and small version of the HTLTR. External exposure 

was minimized because the reactor was remotely operated. Operation was terminated in 1978.
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2.2.1.6 308 TRIGA Reactor

A Training, Research, Isotopes, General Atomics (TRIGA) reactor operated in the 308 Building. See 

2.2.5.7.

2.2.1.7 309 Plutonium Recycle Test Reactor

The PRTR, in the 309 Building, started operating in 1960. The PRTR was a 40-MW, heavy-watercooled and heavy-water-moderated reactor. The reactor was chosen for a large fuels diversification 

program known as the Plutonium Fuels Utilization Program. Tests were to be performed with various 

mixed oxide fuels using various methods of manufacture. As an example, tests were performed on a 

variety of powdered and pelletized fuels using a blend of plutonium oxide, uranium oxide, and other 

metallic oxides. The fuel was nominally 96% depleted uranium oxide and 4% plutonium oxide powder 

that was vibration-compacted within the fuel pin. External exposure was minimized as a result of the 

remote operation and the shielding. Maintenance operations resulted in external exposure from FPs 

and activation products. A high extremity exposure occurred when a worker picked up an irradiated 

steel pin. Tritium (3

H) oxide was the principal internal exposure contaminant during normal operation. 

This whole-body exposure was added into the external whole-body dose summary. (ORAUT-TKBS0006-6, Hanford Site – Occupational External Dose (ORAUT 2010a), and ORAUT-TKBS-0006-5, 

Hanford Site – Occupational Internal Dose (ORAUT 2010b) provide details.) The reactor was shut 

down in 1969 after an accident resulted in contamination in the reactor. A sample of the 

contamination showed the major contaminant was 95Zr/Nb. Other contaminants included 60Co, 103Ru, 

106Ru, 106Rh, 140Ba/La, 141Ce, 144Ce, and 144Pr.

2.2.1.8 309 Plutonium Recycle Critical Facility

The PRCF, which was in the 309 Building, began operating in 1962. Tests were conducted in the 

PRCF to determine which geometric arrangement of fissionable materials would work in a reactor. It 

was shut down in 1976.

2.2.1.9 318 High Temperature Lattice Test Reactor

The HTLTR was a 2-MW test reactor that was built in the 318 Building in 1967 and commenced 

operation in 1968 (Newman 1989). The reactor consisted of a graphite cube in a large shielded room; 

it was operated at elevated temperatures up to 1,000°

C. The mission was to advance reactor physics 

technology. The reactor was shut down in 1971 after 3 years of operation over 4 years, during which 

time it operated with six different cores (i.e., three 233U, one 235U, one 238U, and one 239Pu). Because 

the reactor was heavily shielded and operated remotely, external exposure was at background levels. 

There were no contamination incidents, so internal exposure was negligible. The building and the 

shielded room were modified in the early 1980s and used as the new Hanford Radiation Calibration 

Facility (see Section 2.2.5.8).

2.2.1.10 405 Fast Flux Test Facility

The FFTF was a 400-MW sodium-cooled test reactor in the 405 Building. It began startup operations 

in 1979 and first went critical in August (Briggs 2001, p. 34) in support of the Fast Breeder Reactor 

program. The FFTF was used to test the irradiation of fuels and materials that would be used in a 

breeder reactor and to perform long-term testing of reactor components and systems. It was also 

used for the production of medical isotopes and research on space power systems. The external and 

internal exposures were at background levels. The facility was shut down in December 1993 and 

currently is awaiting decontamination and decommissioning (D&D).
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2.2.2

Seven separation facilities – B Plant, T Plant, U Plant, Reduction-Oxidation (REDOX), PlutoniumUranium Extraction (PUREX) Plant, UO3, and C Plant – were constructed and operated in the 200-W 

and 200-E Areas from 1943 to 1993 [4]. B Plant, PUREX, and C Plant were in 200 East; T Plant, U 

Plant, REDOX, and UO3 were in 200 West. The tritium processing facility was operated from 1949 to 

1955 in the 108-B Building in the 100-B Area. Natural uranium and thorium fuel elements and lithiumaluminum target elements were irradiated to produce 239Pu, 233U, and tritium, respectively. The spent 

reactor fuel was transported to the 200 Areas (i.e., Separations Areas) for processing. Spent fuel was 

initially stored in the reactor storage basins and the 212-N, 212-P, and 212-R Buildings in the 200-N 

Area before processing in the fuel separations facilities (e.g., 221-B, 221-T, REDOX, and PUREX). 

The irradiated lithium-aluminum target elements were transferred to the 108-B Building in the 100-B 

Area for processing. Irradiated thorium fuel elements were processed in the PUREX Plant to recover 

233U in two separate campaigns that occurred in 1966 and 1970. External exposures were primarily 

high-energy betas and photons from FPs in the separations facilities. Internal exposures, primarily 

due to contamination incidents, could be due to either FPs or plutonium. The years of operation and 

radionuclides of concern are listed in Tables A-5 and A-6, respectively, in Attachment A.

Fuel Separations Facilities

2.2.2.1 Original Fuel Separations Facilities

Three large canyon buildings – 221-T, 221-B, and 221-U – were originally constructed in the 200 Area 

starting in 1943 to chemically separate plutonium from uranium and FPs. These buildings were 

massive rectangular canyons that housed the chemical separations equipment. This equipment was 

operated remotely to provide protection to the workers from the high radiation fields. The T Plant 

started up in December 1944 and shut down in August 1956, while B Plant started up in April 1945 

and shut down in October 1952. Because the capacity was not needed, the startup of U Plant was 

delayed until 1952 when the mission was changed (see Section 2.2.2.4). 

The 221-T and 221-B Buildings, known as the T and B Plants, used a bismuth phosphate precipitation 

batch process to separate plutonium from the uranium and FPs after the aluminum jackets were 

dissolved in sodium hydroxide solution and the uranium metal slugs were dissolved in nitric acid. The 

dilute plutonium solution from T and B Plants was transferred to the 224 Concentration Buildings (e.g., 

224-B and 224-T) behind each canyon building, where the product was purified, the product volume 

was reduced, and the carrier was changed from bismuth phosphate to lanthanum fluoride. The final 

plutonium product was concentrated in the 231-Z Building. The B Plant was closed in 1952. Starting 

in 1954 and 1955, the processing capacity was increased in both facilities. The 221-B and 221-T 

Plants were not restarted because of the success of PUREX.

In March 1956, 221-T was converted to perform equipment decontamination (Gerber ca. 1994). In 

1959, the 2706 T Decon Annex was added to the 221-T Building to enhance the equipment 

decontamination capabilities, particularly for pieces of equipment too large to take into T Plant. The 

T Plant is still in operation.

The B Plant facilities were modified in 1968 to remove 90Sr and 137Cs from high-level wastes from the 

single- and double-shell waste tanks. This was in support of a new mission to isolate the longer-lived 

FPs by fractionalization for storage in a safer form and to return the short-lived fractions to 

underground storage and ultimate solidification. The purified 90Sr and 137Cs solutions were transferred 

to the 225-B Waste Encapsulation Storage Facility (see Section 2.2.2.6). The 137Cs and the 90Sr 

recovery operations at the B Plant were completed in September 1983 and February 1985, 

respectively [5].
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2.2.2.2 202-S REDOX Plant

Construction of the REDOX Facility (S Plant) was started in 1949. In January 1952, REDOX started 

up in the 200-W Area using the REDOX process as a replacement for the bismuth phosphate 

process. This new REDOX process differed from the process that was used in B and T Plants in that, 

with the exception of the metal dissolving and feed preparation steps, all steps were continuous rather 

than batch. The new process, which involved solvent extraction using hexone, resulted in improved 

throughput, recovery of uranium, improved recovery of plutonium, and a decrease in the amount of 

high-level liquid waste that was generated. The aqueous plutonium product was concentrated for 

shipment to the plutonium finishing facilities. In 1950*, processing of irradiated plutonium metals 

(0.947 enrichment) was assigned to REDOX. Shutdown of this facility occurred in December 1967.

In an effort to enhance production capacity, the 233-S Building was constructed in 1957 to contain 

equipment for the third and final concentration cycle at 202-S. This building was shut down in July 

1967 after a major fire resulted in extensive plutonium contamination. The facility is currently 

undergoing D&D [6].

2.2.2.3 202-A PUREX Plant

Construction of the PUREX Facility (A Plant) commenced in 1953. It was started up in January 1956 

using the PUREX process (Gerber 1993a; Marceau et al. 2002). The PUREX process was an organic 

solvent extraction process that used tributyl phosphate in kerosene rather than hexone, nitric acid as 

a salting agent, pulse column contractors, and nitric acid recovery by distillation. The nominal design 

capacity was 8.33 tons of uranium per day as opposed to 2.5 tons for the REDOX Plant. In 1955, due 

to the development of more restrictive 131I release limits, the 293-A facility was constructed between 

PUREX and the 291-A stack. In 1958, PUREX initiated 237Np recovery activities. Equipment was 

added in 1962 to permit continuous recovery of 237Np. In 1963, the processing of E-metal fuel that 

contained 235U enriched to 1.75% began. The processing of irradiating powdered thorium oxide 

targets to recover 233U commenced in 1965 and 1966. In 1970, the targets were changed to 

pelletized thorium oxide. The PUREX Plant was shut down in June 1972 and restarted in November 

1983. During the shutdown, a new process was added to convert plutonium nitrate to plutonium 

oxide. The Plant was started up and shut down several times between 1983 and 1992; final closure 

was announced in December 1992.

A 500-ft railroad tunnel that extended south from PUREX was designed and constructed to permit the 

remote storage of highly contaminated processing equipment. In 1964, a new 1,500-ft tunnel was 

added to PUREX to accommodate the storage of additional equipment.

2.2.2.4 221-U U Plant

As noted in Section 2.2.2, the U Plant was constructed in 1943. The U Plant startup was delayed until 

March 1952, when the Plant was reconfigured for use in the recovery of uranium from process waste. 

The high-level liquid wastes from the B and T Plants, which were stored in single-shell tanks, 

contained large quantities of uranium. The uranium-bearing sludge from the underground storage 

tanks was pumped to process vessels in the U Plant. The sludge was dissolved in nitric acid, and the 

uranium was extracted by solvent extraction using tributyl phosphate in kerosene. The recovered 

uranium was shipped off the site for reuse. The U Plant was shut down in January 1958.
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2.2.2.5 224-U UO3 Plant

The 224-U Bulk Reduction Building (known as the UO3 Plant) was constructed in the 1940s. In 1951, 

it was converted to process the liquid uranium nitrate solution from U Plant to produce a powdered 

uranium oxide (UO3) using a calcination process. It was started up in January 1952. The product was 

shipped off the site for reuse. A major addition (224-UA) was added to the UO3 Plant in the fourth 

quarter of 1956 to house three new calciners. It was shut down in 1972 and opened again in 1983. 

There were 17 startups and shutdowns between 1984 and 1992 that corresponded with activities at 

PUREX. The plant was deactivated in the summer of 1993.

2.2.2.6 225-B Waste Encapsulation and Storage Facility

The 225-B Waste Encapsulation and Storage Facility is in the 200-E Area near the 221-B Building. In 

1974, as a part of the effort to isolate the longer-lived FPs from high-level waste tanks, the 137Cs and 

90Sr solutions were transferred to 225-B Building from 221-B Building for conversion to a solid, 

encapsulation, and storage (see Section 2.2.2.1 for more details) (Briggs 2001, p. 33). A large 

amount of encapsulated 137Cs and 90Sr was stored in the 225 Building as a result of this operation. 

External exposures that were associated with the high-energy photons and beta particles from the 

large quantities of strontium and cesium that were processed were minimized as a result of remote 

operation. Internal exposures from the operation were also minimal due to the remote operation.

2.2.2.7 201-C C Plant or Hot Semiworks

The Hot Semiworks (also known as “hot sloppy”) started up in 1949 as a pilot plant (Marceau et al. 

2002) to develop REDOX reprocessing technologies. The REDOX process was tested in the 201-C 

reprocessing pilot plant starting in 1952, with work continuing until 1954. In 1954, the C Plant was 

switched to being the PUREX process pilot plant; it was shut down in 1956. In 1962, C Plant was 

restarted as a pilot plant for the recovery of cesium and strontium from FP waste. The C Plant was

retired in 1967.

2.2.2.8 108-B Tritium Extraction Facility

The 108-B Building (known as P-10 Plant and the Mint Works) in the 100-B Area started in August 

1949 to extract tritium [7]. The lithium-aluminum (for a short period lithium fluoride) target elements 

were transferred to the 108-B facility after irradiation in one of the production reactors. Tritium 

extraction operations were performed intermittently between August 1949 and 1955. The 108-B 

tritium operation was terminated in 1955. The lithium-aluminum target irradiation was continued with 

transportation to an offsite facility for processing until September 1964. A total of 10.6 kg of tritium 

was produced at Hanford. Internal exposure was related to 3

H. This whole-body exposure was 

added to the whole-body dose summary (see ORAUT 2010a,b).

2.2.3

The Hanford Fuel Fabrication facilities that are described in subsequent sections were built and 

operated in the 300 Area from 1943 to 1988 [8]. These include three fuel fabrication facilities – 

313 (Uranium Metal Fuels Fabrication), 314 (Uranium Metal Extrusion), and 333 (Fuel Cladding) 

Buildings – and two support facilities – 303 (Uranium Storage and Oxide Burner) and 306 (Reactor 

Fuel Manufacturing Pilot Plant). External exposures related to betas and photons that are associated 

with uranium. Due to the pyrophoric nature of uranium turnings and chips, internal exposure related 

primarily to inhalation of uranium, although DRs should also consider ingestion as a possible pathway. 

Fuel Fabrication Facilities
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The years of operation and radionuclides are listed in Tables A-10 and A-11, respectively, in 

Attachment A.

2.2.3.1 313 Uranium Metal Fuels Fabrication Facility

The first extruded uranium rods arrived in October 1943 and machining began in December. The

aluminum-clad fuel for the first eight production reactors was produced in the 313 Building starting in 

March 1944. Natural uranium billets or bars were heated to a red heat and shaped into long rods 

using an extrusion press (see Section 2.2.3.2). These were cut into shorter lengths called slugs using 

a turret lathe. After receiving a finish cut in another turret lathe, the slugs were cleaned then dipped in 

a succession of molten baths (i.e., the triple-dip method) and pushed into an aluminum can. An 

aluminum cap was pushed into the can and the top edge of the cap was welded to the can. Bismuth 

fuel targets were fabricated in the 313 Building beginning in 1944. These were irradiated in the 

production reactors to produce 210Po, which was used as an initiator in some atomic weapons. Leadcadmium fuel rods, which were welded into nonbonded aluminum cans, were produced for use as 

“poison” elements for the production reactors. Lithium targets were manufactured for tritium 

production from 1949 to 1952 and again from 1965 to 1967. In the 1950s, production reactor fuel 

changed from natural uranium to low-enriched uranium. In March 1954, a new simpler canning 

method that involved a lead-dip process was initiated to replace the old method. All uranium scrap 

and waste from these processes were salvaged as uranium oxide and shipped off the Hanford Site. 

In 1955, the fuel production facilities were expanded to produce the fuel for the K Reactors. In 

January 1971, the manufacture of aluminum-clad fuel that was used in the first six reactors was 

terminated. After that time, only N Reactor fuel was manufactured (see Section 2.2.3.3).

2.2.3.2 314 Uranium Metal Extrusion Facility

The 314 Building was known as the Press Building, Metallurgical Engineering Laboratory, and later as 

the Uranium Metal Extrusion Facility. Operation of the 314 Press Building commenced in July 1944 

with a mission to process raw uranium billets into extruded rods that were suitable for fabrication into 

fuel elements. In early 1945, a 1,000-ton large extrusion press was installed in the 314 Building. 

After installation, the 313 and 314 Buildings assumed all fuel manufacturing responsibilities for 

Hanford. An additional mission, uranium scrap recovery, was started in 1945. An oxide burner began

operation on the north side of the 314 Building in spring 1946 and was moved to a separate building 

just north of the 314 Building in December 1947 (Gerber 1992, pp. 7, 8). Uranium scraps were mixed 

with UF4 (green salt) and calcium chips. Conversion to metal took place in a reduction furnace 

(DOE2002). The high air contamination that occurred frequently involved a highly soluble class F 

material. The melt plant was shut down in 1954. The uranium billets were extruded into rods, outgassed, and straightened in the 314 Building. The extrusion process was terminated in 1948 when 

the fuel element process was changed to use rolled uranium rods. In 1950, a rolling mill was installed 

in the 314 Building to fabricate Hanford fuel elements on the site. The building was deactivated in 

1971.

2.2.3.3 333 Fuel Cladding Facility

The N Reactor fuel was produced in the 333 Building starting in 1961. The N Reactor fuel elements 

used a tube-in-tube design that consisted of slightly enriched uranium inner and outer cores and thin 

Zircaloy-2 cladding. The production process included cleaning of the uranium billets and Zircaloy-2 

cladding shells; billet assembly and preheating; extrusion; fuel element shaping and cleaning; and 

welding of the end cap. From 1965 to 1967, outer driver fuel elements were produced in support of 

tritium production at N Reactor. The lithium-aluminum inner target element was manufactured in the 
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3722 Area Shop. The 333 Building was placed on standby in 1988 when the manufacture of 

N Reactor fuels ceased.

2.2.3.4 306 Reactor Fuel Manufacturing Pilot Plant

Construction on the 306 Building was completed in 1956, and it began operation in May 1957 as a 

pilot plant for reactor fuel production. The 306 Building had a complete fuel element canning line with 

the exception of autoclaving. The coextrusion process was developed in the 306-E Building in the 

early 1960s in support of N Reactor fuel needs. Since the 1980s the two halves of the building – 306-

E and 306-W – have been operated by different companies. PNNL operated 306-W and shut it down 

in May 2004. Westinghouse and Fluor operated 306-E. The exact date for shutdown of 306-E is still 

being researched but would have been about the same time.

2.2.3.5 303 Facilities Fresh Metal Storage Facilities

Ten buildings (303-A, -B, -C, -D, -E, -F, -G, -J, -K, and -M) were built over a period from 1944 to 1983 

to store fresh uranium, chemicals, uranium scraps, and plutonium. Uranium was shipped to Hanford 

in the form of metal billets. The metal billets were moved to the 303 Fresh Metal Storage Buildings 

where they were inspected, entered in accountability records, and held for processing. Building 303-L 

is another building not mentioned above; it was a small building that was constructed in 1961 to burn 

uranium metal scraps to an oxide form that would be suitable for shipment to the Feed Materials 

Production Center for recovery. Burning was stopped in 1971 due to the use of unconventional 

burning vessels (two cement mixers lined with concrete) and poor ventilation. These two factors 

combined to produce airborne contamination readings that frequently exceeded the then-current 

Hanford maximum permissible concentration of 2 × 10-12 μCi/mL for unrestricted areas and 6 × 10-11

μCi/mL for restricted areas (see Gerber 1992). Building 303L was shut down in 1971 and removed in 

1976. In 1983, the new Oxide Burning Facility (303-M) was placed into operation at the same site. It 

operated from 1984 to 1987. In 1970*, the 303-C Building was used by Pacific Northwest National 

Laboratory (PNNL) for the storage of plutonium and americium. (PNNL was formerly the Pacific 

Northwest Laboratory; for convenience, this document uses PNNL throughout.) A pressurization of 

one of the sealed metal storage cans resulted in the spread of plutonium contamination and the 

subsequent shutdown of the building until cleanup. The 303-C Building is currently being used for 

other purposes.

2.2.4

Two plutonium finishing facilities, 231-Z (Plutonium Isolation Building) and 234-5Z (Plutonium 

Finishing Plant Complex), have operated at Hanford from 1945 to the present [9], (231-Z 1945-1977, 

234-5Z 1949-present). The latter is still involved in plutonium stabilization efforts as a part of the 

Hanford cleanup program. Both of these complexes are in the 200-W Area. As noted in Section 

2.2.4.3, the Plutonium Finishing Plant Complex consists of several buildings including 234-5Z that 

involve several processes [i.e., Rubber Glove (RG) Line, Remote Mechanical A (RMA) Line, Remote 

Mechanical C (RMC) Line, and Recovery of Uranium and Plutonium by Extraction (RECUPLEX)]; the 

232-Z Incinerator; the 236-Z Plutonium Reclamation Facility; and the 242-Z Waste Storage Facility. 

External exposures related to radiation fields, primarily from plutonium low-energy X-rays and 

spontaneous fission neutrons. During the early years of plutonium finishing operations, essentially all 

photon radiation resulted from plutonium X-rays. Later, 60-keV gamma radiation from 241Am 

contributed significantly to worker exposure. Neutron radiation was substantially elevated in part of 

the finishing operation where alpha radiation from plutonium-produced neutrons resulted from the 

(α,n) reaction with fluorine. Although relatively few Hanford personnel were involved in plutonium 

finishing, these facilities provided the majority of personnel exposures to neutron radiation. Internal 

Plutonium Finishing Facilities
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exposures related to contamination incidents that involved americium and plutonium. These 

exposures occurred by inhalation, absorption, and injection (i.e., wound sites). The years of operation 

and the radionuclides of concern are listed in Tables A-15 and A-16, respectively, in Attachment A.

2.2.4.1 231-Z Plutonium Isolation Facility

The 231-Z Plutonium Isolation Facility began the plutonium finishing process in January 1945. The 

objective of the Plutonium Isolation Process was to separate the plutonium from the lanthanum carrier 

as received from T or B Plant and “to purify the product to a degree sufficient for further processing 

off-site or in the Purification and Fabrication Building (234-5Z Building)” (Lini 2008, p. 12). When the 

234-5Z Building (see Table A-15) went into operation in July 1949, the refined product was seldom 

shipped off the site for plutonium finishing. Chemical processing was continued in the 231-Z Building 

until 1956, when all steps were transferred to the 234-5Z Building. In 1956, the plutonium metallurgy 

developmental laboratory was moved from the 234-5Z Building to the 231-Z Building. The 231-Z 

Building continued to be used for metallurgical research on plutonium and alloys until 1975, was 

cleaned up and stabilized by February 1977, and was turned over to Rockwell Hanford Operations in 

1983 (Lini 2008, p. 1; Briggs 2001, p. 35). Studies on the use of 233U were also performed in this 

building. Small quantities of 235U and 237Np were also handled in the building (Lini 2008, p. 26). 

2.2.4.2 234-5Z Plutonium Finishing Plant Complex

The 234-5Z Building was used starting in July 1949 for plutonium finishing operations. The Plutonium 

Finishing Plant (PFP) Complex consists of the 234-5Z Building, including several production areas 

and several other buildings discussed in subsequent sections. The building is currently undergoing 

D&D.

2.2.4.2.1 Rubber Glove Line

The RG Line in the 234-5Z Building was used starting in July 1949 for processing plutonium nitrate. 

All of the tasks Table 2-1 lists, with the exception of Task I, were performed in the RG Line.

Table 2-1. Plutonium nitrate processing tasks [10].

Task Name Function

I Purification, oxalate precipitation, 

wet chemistry, or feed production

Precipitate the plutonium-nitrate feed solution with oxalic acid 

and other agents.

II Hydrofluorination or dry chemistry Diffuse hydrogen fluoride gas through the precipitate.

III Reduction Combine the plutonium tetrafluoride with calcium; fire at high 

temperature until fused into a metallic plutonium chunk called a 

button.

IV Casting Render plutonium buttons into pits.

V Machining Machine the pit to specified dimensions.

VI Cleaning Chemically clean the pit.

VII Coating Coat the pit for radiation safety.

VIII Final inspection Inspect the pit for correct specifications.

In December 1949, production was temporarily halted to make repairs to solve operational and 

mechanical problems. It was restarted early in 1950. The RG Line was placed on standby at the end 

of March 1953, with the exception of the coatings units that were shut down in May 1953. In 1955, 

equipment from Tasks I and II was removed and buried. A majority of the remaining process 

equipment was removed from the RG Line in early 1957 in preparation for installation of the new RMC 

Line.
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2.2.4.2.2 Remote Mechanical A Line

The RMA Line was designed to reduce worker radiation exposure by automating the process 

described in Table 2-1. In March 1952, the RMA Line began to process the plutonium(IV) oxalate that 

was prepared in 231-Z. By March 1953, the RMA Line began handling all of the plutonium work. In 

July 1954 a fire in the RMA Line stopped fabrication of pits for 3 weeks. The RMA Line was taken 

completely out of service in 1964. The weapon fabrication portion of the RMA Line was removed (see 

Section 2.2.4.2.3) in March 1966. In September 1967, a glovebox in the RMA Line was reactivated to 

grind plutonium-aluminum scraps into turnings suitable for plutonium recovery. In 1968, Tasks I to III 

of the RMA Line were cleaned out and reactivated to participate in expanded programs for 

commercial (i.e., nondefense) nuclear development and experiments such as oxides for the FFTF. 

The last run in the RMA line occurred in December 1979 (Gerber 2005, p. 5-24). In 1984, it was 

decided to keep the RMA Line in standby status. It was never operated again.

2.2.4.2.3 Remote Mechanical C Line

The RMC Line began processing plutonium nitrate feed in October 1960. In 1962, a project was 

undertaken to install 10-in.-thick, water-filled shielding tanks to substantially reduce the neutron 

exposure to operators. Because of fire(s) in other facilities and the RECUPLEX criticality, other safety 

improvements including a new criticality alarm system, a new air sample counter, and a new paging 

system were installed in 1963 and 1964. By 1964, the RMC Line was being used for the bulk of the 

metal processing and the throughput was increased substantially. As a result of a decision to 

concentrate weapon fabrication work at the Rocky Flats Plant, the fabrication portion of the RMC Line 

was removed in March 1966. The line continued to operate on a mixed schedule for the next several 

years to produce weapons-grade plutonium and fuel-grade plutonium and oxides. As a result of the 

explosion in the americium recovery process in the 242-Z facility, the RMC Line was shut down in 

1976. After preparing to restart production of weapons-grade components, the RMC Line restarted in 

July 1985. The RMC Line was permanently shut down in May 1989.

2.2.4.2.4 Recovery of Uranium and Plutonium by Extraction Facility

The RECUPLEX process facility began in July 1955; over the next few years, the facility was heavily 

used with increasing equipment failures and increasing radiation levels. In February 1960, 

RECUPLEX was temporarily shut down to permit an extensive cleanup of hoods and operating 

equipment. In April 1962, a criticality accident resulted in widespread contamination throughout the 

RECUPLEX room and in high external exposures to several workers. In May 1962, the U.S. Atomic 

Energy Commission (AEC) decided to deactivate that section of the 234-5Z facility.

2.2.4.2.5 232-Z Incinerator Facility

In January 1962, the 232-Z Incinerator began processing miscellaneous solid wastes to recover small 

quantities of plutonium. The process involved incineration of combustible materials, leaching of 

noncombustible materials in nitric acid, and wet leaching of ash. The recovered plutonium was 

transferred to RECUPLEX and later the Plutonium Reclamation Facility. In 1973, the 232-Z 

Incinerator was shut down.

2.2.4.2.6 236-Z Plutonium Reclamation Facility

The 236-Z Plutonium Reclamation Facility was placed in operation in May 1964 to recover plutonium 

from liquid waste that was generated in the PFP operations. Using a solution of tributyl phosphate 

diluted with carbon tetrachloride, metal nitrates and other wastes were stripped from a plutonium-
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bearing feed. Nitric acid-hydroxylamine solution was then used to separate the plutonium as a nitrate. 

The plutonium nitrate was then ready as a feed for the RMA and RMC Lines. In December 1975, 

236-Z was shut down for maintenance upgrades and reviews of criticality safety specifications and 

procedures. In 1976, 236-Z operated for only a short time after restart until the explosion in 242-Z 

resulted in widespread high levels of 241Am contamination in the work area. This accident resulted in 

the shutdown of the entire Plutonium Finishing Complex in April 1976.

2.2.4.2.7 242-Z Waste Treatment Facility

The 242-Z Waste Treatment Facility began operation in 1963 to recover plutonium from aqueous 

waste streams from the PFP. An 241Am recovery process was installed in a glovebox in 242-Z and 

began operation in May 1965. The recovery process was converted from batch to continuous in 

1969. In April 1976, the 242-Z facility was shut down as a result of a strike. In August 1976, during 

restart of the americium recovery process, an explosion occurred in a cation ion exchange column 

that contained approximately 100 g of 241Am. This resulted in substantial americium internal 

exposure. As a result, the 242-Z facility was permanently closed. Doors into the operating area were 

welded shut and the facility is currently awaiting D&D efforts.

2.2.4.3 Plutonium Storage Facilities

Several plutonium storage facilities were constructed at the PFP (234-5Z) starting in 1949. These 

include 2736-Z, 2736-ZA, and 2736-ZB built in 1971, 1977, and 1982, respectively. There were 12 

vault or vault-type rooms in the PFP. These vaults contained 93% of the Hanford Site’s unirradiated 

plutonium items and 92% of the total Hanford unirradiated plutonium inventory in July 1994 at the time 

the Plutonium Vulnerability Study (DOE 1994) was performed. External exposure in the vault rooms 

from low-energy photons and neutrons occurred during periodic inventory and inspection activities. 

Internal exposure was minimal because there were no routine activities that involved opening the 

storage containers. Internal exposure would have been a concern in the event of an incident that 

voided the containment of the storage containers. Stabilization efforts were completed in August 

2003.

2.2.5

The 21 major research, development, and testing facilities at Hanford were in the 100, 200, and 300 

Areas [11]. Construction of these started in 1944, with the last completed in 1977. These facilities 

were built to support the development and testing of new processes, materials, and equipment. In 

some instances, the facilities were used for several different purposes throughout their operating lives. 

Therefore, the potential exposures were dependent on the missions and processes at any given time. 

The years of operation and the radionuclides of concern are listed in Tables A-17 and A-18, 

respectively, in Attachment A.

Research, Development, and Testing Facilities

2.2.5.1 108-F Biology Facility

The 108-F Building was remodeled in 1949 to provide laboratory and office space for the Hanford Site 

Biology Program [12]. The facility was used to perform radiation effects studies on plants, animals, 

and fish in support of Hanford operations. Studies involved many radionuclides including 90Sr, 131I, 

238U, and 239Pu. The building was expanded in 1953 and in 1962 to provide additional space for 

biological experiments. The facility was closed in 1977 when the Biology Program moved to the 331 

Building (see Section 2.2.5.16).
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2.2.5.2 120 Critical Mass Laboratory Facility

The Critical Mass Laboratory was originally operated in the 120 Building near the 100-F Area starting 

in April 1950 [13]. This laboratory was used for nuclear physics R&D studies of plutonium solutions 

and solids to avoid the accidental occurrence of a criticality in an operating facility. In November 

1951, a substantial spread of contamination occurred as a result of an experiment with a plutonium 

solution. In December 1951, spontaneous ignition of rags that were soaked with nitric acid occurred 

during cleanup. While the metal building was not destroyed, the facility was permanently closed due 

to the extensive plutonium contamination. The site was subsequently decontaminated and 

decommissioned.

2.2.5.3 209-E Critical Mass Laboratory

The 209-E Critical Mass Laboratory was placed in operation in July 1961 [14]. The laboratory, in a 

room shielded by at least 3 ft of concrete, included a mixing room with a glovebox and mixing hood 

and a control room from which critical mass physics experiments were remotely conducted. Both 

239Pu and 240Pu were used in the criticality studies. As a result, external exposures were minimized. 

Internal exposures were related to plutonium contamination incidents. This facility was shut down in 

1986* after a series of occurrences that involved criticality safety specifications.

2.2.5.4 222-B Laboratory

The 222-B Laboratory was opened in the 222-B Building in 1945 to perform process or R&D 

radiochemical operations in support of irradiated fuel-reprocessing facilities [15]. One of the main 

functions was to test the solution samples from the 221-B and 224-B Buildings at various steps in the 

separations process. External and internal exposures were associated with the FPs and plutonium in 

the process samples. The laboratory was shut down in about 1975. This facility was converted to 

office space.

2.2.5.5 222-S Laboratory

Construction of the 222-S Laboratory was started in 1949. The facility contains laboratories and 

shielded cells that were used to provide analytical services in support of process control of REDOX, 

B-Plant, and 242-S and 242-A Evaporators [16]. It is currently used for analytical operations in 

support of waste management and environmental control processes. External exposures related 

primarily to FPs in process samples. Internal exposures would primarily be associated with the 

separations plants process samples (e.g., FPs and plutonium). In the early 1960s, some work was 

performed with 147Pm. Internal exposures were related primarily to contamination incidents.

2.2.5.6 222-T Laboratory

The 222-T Laboratory was the first to operate commencing in 1944 in support of the separation 

process in 221-T and supporting work in 224-T [17]. External and internal exposure potential was 

similar to that in 222-B. It was decontaminated and used for office space in the 1970s. It was shut 

down in 1980*. Fire protection was shut off in 1986.

2.2.5.7 308 Plutonium Fuels Pilot Plant

The Plutonium Fuels Pilot Plant was constructed in the 308 Building in 1960 to perform R&D on fuel 

elements for the PRTR. In the mid-1960s, the PRTR fuel work was terminated. In the late 1960s, 

neptunium-aluminum alloy fuel target elements were produced for use in N Reactor for a 238Pu 
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production run. A high bay area was added to the building in 1971. A 147Pm contamination incident 

occurred in the 308 Building in 1971. From 1977 to 1990, the facility was used for the production of 

FFTF fuel elements. The 308-A annex was added to the Plutonium Fabrication Pilot Plant in 1979 to 

accommodate additional plutonium fuels work. A 250-kW Training, Research, Isotopes, General 

Atomics (TRIGA) reactor was installed in the annex in the late 1970s to perform neutron radiography, 

a feature of the QA testing program. During its operation, the building experienced many incidents 

that involved the loss of control of radioactive materials, primarily plutonium. Most of these were 

contained within usually one laboratory and in adjacent corridors. Glovebox fires, explosions, and 

ruptures were the most frequent cause of contamination. Improperly sealed irradiated sample 

containers were another common cause. These incidents occasionally resulted in internal exposures. 

Fuel fabrication activities in the 308 Building ceased on March 31, 1990; however, special nuclide 

material in the form of FFTF fuel elements continued to be stored there at least into 1992 (Neiderhiser 

1992). 

2.2.5.8 318 Radiological Calibration and Development Laboratory

The 318 Building was originally built in 1967 to house the HTLTR (see Section 2.2.1.9). In the early 

1980s, the reactor was removed and the heavily shielded 10-m3 reactor cell was converted to a freein-air calibration facility that contains a large 252Cf neutron source (109 n/s) and a large 137Cs photon 

source (approximately 100 Ci) that were used for dosimeter calibration [18]. A shielded facility was 

built in the basement to house a high-level 60Co source (approximately 1 kCi) to create accident dose 

rate levels and three 300-kVp X-ray machines. Three major additions were constructed in 1982, 

1987, and 1989. The first contained four source wells that held two 137Cs, one 60Co, and one 252Cf 

sources for instrument calibration. The second addition housed instrument testing and repair 

laboratories, and the last addition provided office facilities for the staff. The calibration laboratory 

commenced operation in 1983. As a result of the shielding, isolation, remote operations, and 

operating procedures, external exposures were minimized. Internal exposures were negligible. The 

facility is still in operation.

2.2.5.9 320 Low-Level Radiochemistry Facility

The Low-Level Radiochemistry Laboratory was built in the 320 Building in 1966. The original

missions were to house analytical chemistry services and to provide plant support that involved lowlevel and nonradioactive samples. The 320 Building currently provides a low-level radiochemistry 

facility in which very sensitive radiochemical analysis, sample preparation, and methods development 

can be performed. External and internal exposures were minimal. The facility is still in operation.

2.2.5.10 321 Separation Facility

The 321 Separation Facility (Cold Semiworks) was built in 1944 with a mission to be used as a cold 

(i.e., unirradiated material) pilot plant to test the bismuth phosphate chemical reprocessing methods 

and equipment and to study problems as the 221, 224, and 231 Buildings were being constructed. In 

late 1944, it was decided to add a laboratory for work with small amounts of solutions that contained 

several tenths to 1 Ci of radioactive materials (Gerber 1993a; DOE 2002). Soon after startup, the 

321 Building assumed a mission to demonstrate the effects of proposed process changes on 

decontamination factors in the 221, 224, and 231 Buildings; conduct isotope separations; and perform 

experiments on small irradiated samples. In 1949, the 321 Building was used to develop the REDOX 

process. Tests using radioactive materials were discontinued after 1949. The 321 Building was used 

in 1953 to perform a cold test of the PUREX process. Pilot-scale tests of the U-Plant recovery 

process were conducted in 1955. Isotope campaigns were conducted in the 1960s using tracer levels 
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of 90Sr, 137Cs, 144Ce, 147Pm, and 237Np. Primary contamination in the facility was due to thorium and 

uranium. External and internal exposures were minimal. The building was deactivated in 1988.

2.2.5.11 324 Chemical and Materials Engineering Laboratory

The Chemical and Materials Engineering Laboratory began operation in 1966 to provide R&D studies 

in support of PRTR operations. It was used first as a fuel recycling pilot plant by housing chemical 

reprocessing and metallurgical examination capabilities for PRTR fuel elements. It consisted of two 

groups of large shielded cells for radiochemical and metallurgical studies. The chemistry cells 

consisted of four cells that were connected to an airlock where studies of various processes for the 

solidification of high-level liquid waste were performed. The laboratory was used in conjunction with 

the 325-A hot cells to perform studies on solidification of high-level liquid waste (i.e., Nuclear Waste 

Vitrification Project) from processing irradiated fuel elements from commercial reactors. A special 

underground liquid waste pipeline connected the hot cells in 324 and 325-A Buildings. Most recently, 

the 324 Building was used as a Waste Technology-Engineering Laboratory. Because most of the 

work was performed in hot cells, external and internal exposures were minimized. The 324 Building is 

currently undergoing D&D activities.

2.2.5.12 325 Radiochemistry Laboratory

The 325 Building was completed in 1953 to permit multicurie-level chemical development work in 

support of production and process improvement (Marceau et al. 2002; DOE undated). A high-level 

radiochemistry wing, 325-A, was placed into operation on the east side of the building in 1959 and 

1960. It included three large hot cells for isotope research activities. This included separation and 

concentration of 90Sr, 90Y, 131I, 137Cs, 144Ce, 147Pm, 210Po, 238Pu, 239Pu, and 244Cm for special programs. 

The 147Pm was used in the manufacture of heat sources starting in 1966. The 210Po work started in 

June 1972 and was terminated in 1975*. In 1990*, 90Y was separated from 90Sr in multicurie 

quantities for medical use. These cells were also used in support of the studies on solidification of 

high-level radioactive waste (i.e., Nuclear Waste Vitrification Project) from processing irradiated fuel 

elements from commercial reactors. A special underground liquid waste pipeline connected the hot 

cells in 324 and 325-A Buildings. The Nuclear Waste Vitrification Project that was conducted in the 

324 and 325 Buildings in the 1970s involved high burnup commercial fuel elements that were 

characterized by nominally 26% 240Pu (PNNL 2003). High-level radioanalytical hot cells were added 

on the west side in 19UNK. The building became known as the Radiochemistry/Cerium Recovery 

Building. Limiting access to high-level dose rate or contamination areas controlled external and 

internal exposures. Most exposures related to maintenance in hot cells or accidents in laboratory 

areas where work was being performed with FPs, plutonium, and other radionuclides. A major 147Pm 

contamination incident occurred in the late 1960s. The radiochemical laboratory work resulted in 

external exposure, and any internal exposure resulted from contamination incidents. The 325 

Building still is in use in support of cleanup efforts at Hanford.

2.2.5.13 326 Pile Physics Technology and Metallurgy Facility

Operation of the 326 Building started in 1953 to continue exponential pile physics development work 

that was originally performed in the P-11 Facility and later in 189-D (Marceau et al. 2002; DOE 

undated). Polonium-beryllium and radium-beryllium neutron sources with neutron emissions up to 

1 × 108 n/s were used to irradiate cobalt and copper test foils. The test foils exhibited radiation levels 

up to 10 rad/hr at 3 in. The facility was also used for metallurgical studies of reactor components and 

fuel elements to evaluate characteristics and performance. Some of this work was transferred to 

209-E in 1961. A high-energy electron microscope was installed in the basement in 1971 to perform 

materials studies. During microscope operations, there was a major spread of plutonium and 
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irradiated steel contamination. This and other contamination incidents resulted in some internal 

exposure. In 1983, the 326 Building became the Chemical Science Building. This facility is still in 

operation.

2.2.5.14 327 Radiometallurgy Laboratory Facility

The 327 Radiometallurgy Laboratory was built in 1953 to replace the 111-B Test Building (Gerber 

1993b; Marceau et al. 2002; DOE undated) and first work with irradiated material occurred in July (GE 

1953a, p. A-1). It was designed to provide post-irradiation testing and other studies on irradiated 

materials, particularly fuel elements and fuel cladding materials from and for the production reactors. 

These facilities originally consisted of eight freestanding shielded cells and two water-filled storage 

pools. Several modifications were undertaken to provide a shielded loadout facility to handle highlevel radioactive waste, a large shielded cell to perform special environmental radiometallurgy studies, 

and office space. In 1967, it was used for the experimental production of 238Pu. It was used to study 

irradiated PRTR, FFTF, General Electric Test Reactor, Experimental Breeder Reactor II, and 

Materials Test Reactor fuel elements. In 1967, it was involved in a serious contamination event. The 

327 Building was renamed the Post Irradiation Testing Laboratory in the 1980s. External and internal 

exposures related to irradiated materials and FPs that were undergoing metallurgical studies. Work 

was also performed with 233U and 238Pu. The facility was deactivated in 1987.

2.2.5.15 329 Biophysics Laboratory

The Biophysics Laboratory was opened in 1952 to pioneer development of water chemistry, 

environmental monitoring, and bioassay analysis programs. Missions for the laboratory include the 

analyses of low-level (i.e., near-background) quantities of radioactive materials in air, vegetation, soil, 

wildlife, and river and well-water samples. A neutron multiplier facility was built in 1974 as Section D 

of the Biophysics Laboratory. It commenced operation in 1977 with a large 252Cf source. External 

and internal exposures were minimized. The building is still in operation.

2.2.5.16 331 Life Sciences Laboratory Facility

The Life Sciences Laboratory opened in the 331 Building in 1972 as a replacement to the 108-F 

complex. The facility was used to perform radiation effects studies on plants, animals, and fish in 

support of Hanford operations. Studies involved many radionuclides including 90Sr, 131I, 238U, and 

239Pu. A hot cell that originally contained a 15-kCi 60Co source was used for special irradiation 

studies. External and internal exposures were at a minimum. The facility is still in operation.

2.2.5.17 3706 Radiochemistry Laboratory

The 3706 Building, the original Radiochemistry Laboratory, was placed in operation in early 1945 

(Gerber 1993c; Marceau et al. 2002; DOE undated). This building was also known as the Technical 

Building. The original mission was to perform small-scale experiments with both low- and high-activity 

radioactive materials in support of production activities with the primary focus on improving the 

bismuth phosphate process. The QA and quality control activities that were associated with fuel 

element fabrication also were performed in the 3706 Building. Other missions were the metallurgical 

examination of irradiated fuel elements, fuel development for the 313 Building, examination of 

graphite from the experimental levels of the 100 Area piles, and special sample analyses from 231Z 

and 200 Area separation facilities. In 1947, it was used in the development of the REDOX process. 

Pioneering radiochemistry work in the development of the REDOX, PUREX, and RECUPLEX 

processes was performed until 1953. The work involved many radionuclides including FPs, 14C, 131I, 

235U, 238U, and 239Pu. External and internal exposures related to these radionuclides. Thyroid checks 
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were initiated in May 1947. In 1954, many of the laboratories were decontaminated and converted to 

offices. Most work with radioactivity materials ended by 1964 (Gerber 1992, p. 84). During the 1970s 

and 1980s, laboratory work was phased out and most of the remaining building was converted to 

offices that still were in use in the early 1990s.

2.2.5.18 3730 Gamma Irradiation Facility

The 3730 Building was originally constructed in 1949 as a shop. In 1956, the work performed in the 

3741 Building was transferred to this building. A 350-kCi 60Co source was added to a pool in the 

1960s for special irradiation studies. Irradiated samples measured from 25 to 50 rad/hr. Respiratory 

protection was required in the 1950s because of 14C and 35S airborne contamination. Several facility 

improvements were made from 1974 to 1981.

2.2.5.19 3732 Process Equipment Development Laboratory

The 3732 Process Equipment Development Laboratory was constructed in 1949 as an engineering 

pilot plant for the triple-dip and lead-dip fuel canning processes (Gerber 1992). It is a one-story, metal 

frame structure on a concrete foundation with a concrete floor and a corrugated metal roof. Overall 

dimensions are 28.5 ft by 48.16 ft. Powdered thorium oxide fuel targets for 233U production were 

fabricated in the 3732 Building from 1965 to 1967. The process of handling these powder targets 

spread powdered and particulate thorium contamination throughout the building. After the thorium 

oxide program switched to pelletized targets in the 3722 Building in 1968, these new fuel targets were 

canned in the 3732 Building through 1970. As a result, the 3732 Building contains standard fuel 

fabrication chemical wastes as well as residual thorium oxide contamination in crevices and areas 

throughout and near the building. The facility is now empty.

2.2.5.20 3741 Graphite Hot Shop Facility

The Graphite Hot Shop was constructed in 1944 to perform metallurgical studies on irradiated 

graphite samples. Polonium-beryllium and radium-beryllium neutron sources were used in irradiation 

facilities in the basement to irradiate cobalt and copper foils. Internal exposures would have been 

primarily due to the large quantities of irradiated graphite (i.e., 14C) that were studied. The facility was 

torn down in 1956 and work was transferred to 3730 Building (DOE undated).

2.2.5.21 3745 Radiological Calibrations and Standards Laboratory

The Radiological Calibrations and Standards Laboratory opened in the 3745 Building in October 1944 

[19]. The two-story wooden frame building contained a low scatter room in which dosimeters were 

calibrated using a 226Ra source and a 220-kVp X-ray machine. Other sources included large 60Co and 

137Cs photon sources and 252Cf, 226Ra-Be, 84Po-Be, 238Pu-Be, 239Pu-F, and 124Sb-Be neutron sources. 

Instrument calibrations were performed in a different room that contained two vertical concreteshielded wells in which the photon sources were housed and used. Instrument calibration sources 

included 60Co, 137Cs, and 226Ra sources. A supporting facility, 3745B, was constructed of concrete 

blocks to house a 4-MeV Van de Graaff positive ion accelerator. This was used starting in 1955 to 

perform fast neutron calibrations. A companion facility, 3745A, was built in 1950* to house a 2-MeV 

negative ion Van de Graaff accelerator. As a result of the shielding, isolation, remote operations, and 

operating procedures, external exposures were minimized. Internal exposures were negligible. The

calibration operations were moved to the 318 Building in 1983. The building is still used for office 

space.
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2.2.6

2.2.6.1 High-Level Liquid Waste Tanks

Waste Handling Facilities

High-level radioactive liquid wastes from reprocessing facilities at Hanford were stored in underground 

single- and double-shell tanks starting in 1944 [20]. The high-level radioactive waste is transported 

through underground process lines to the storage tanks in the 200-E and 200-W Area tank farms. 

The storage tanks are of two types, single-shell and double-shell. Both types are cylinder-shaped 

concrete structures with carbon-steel liners. The single-shell tank has a single liner, and the doubleshell tank has two liners with a space in between. The T and B Plants initially produced more than 

10,000 gal of high-level radioactive waste for each ton of processed uranium. These wastes were 

transferred to the first 64 tanks, which were constructed in 1944 and 1945. Thirty new single-shell 

tanks were constructed in 1947 and 1948. Additional single-shell tanks were constructed in 1950 and 

1952 (30), in 1953 to 1955 (21), and in 1963 and 1964 (4). From 1968 to 1988, 28 double-shell tanks 

were constructed. Most of the single- and double-shell tanks are still in use. A new waste vitrification 

facility is under construction to process the stored high-level liquid wastes. External exposure is due 

to high-energy beta and photon radiations from the FPs in the tanks. Under normal conditions 

shielding, distance, and time limits minimize personnel exposures. Most external exposures would 

relate to leaks of high-level wastes. Internal exposures to FPs were controlled through the use of 

respiratory protection.

2.2.6.2 216-Z-9 Trench Facility

The 216-Z-9 Facility, known as the Z-9 Crib (i.e., enclosed trench), is in the 200-W Area 

approximately 500 ft east of the Z Plant (i.e., PFP) exclusion area. The Z-9 trench was placed in 

operation in 1955 to serve the RECUPLEX Facility by receiving the acid waste stream of both 

aqueous and organic wastes as well as unwashed fabrication oil from the RMA Line from 1955 to 

1962. The trench was an underground excavation within an active floor area of 30 by 60 ft, 21 ft 

beneath the top of the concrete slab cover. The excavation was covered by a 9- to 12-in.-thick 

reinforced concrete slab 90 ft wide and 120 ft long at ground level. In 1965, because of concern that 

the waste plutonium posed a potential criticality hazard, a decision was made to develop a soil mining 

and leaching operation to recover an estimated 45 kg of waste plutonium. An approximately 1,000-ft2

containment structure was built to conduct the operation. It housed a soil packaging glovebox, 

personnel entry to the trench, and a personnel change room. The structure was on the east side of 

the trench with part of the structure over the top of the trench cover. The mining operator’s cubicle, 

which contained the controls for operating the mining equipment, was in the west side of the trench 

cover through a reinforced opening in the cover. The mining operation commenced in August 1976 

and was completed in July 1978. The principal internal exposure potential related to 239Pu 

contamination, most of which occurred in the soil packaging glovebox. Because the waste site was 

used only for plutonium, the external exposure potential during the mining operation was minimal. 

The facility is currently in a laid-away status.

2.2.6.3 241-Z Settling Tank

The 241-Z Settling Tank, inside the fence of the PFP complex in the 200 West Area, was used from 

1949 to 1973 to store large quantities of plutonium-bearing wastes. In 1974, 80,000 L of supernate 

were removed from the tank, leaving an estimated 94-in.-deep layer of wet sludge that contains a few 

tens of kilograms of plutonium. Internal and external exposures from this operation were minimal. 

The facility is currently awaiting D&D.
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2.2.6.4 242 Evaporator Facilities

The evaporator facilities (242-A, 242-B, 242-S, and 242-T) were constructed near each of the 

separation facilities to reduce and concentrate the volume of high-level wastes. The 242-T and 242-B 

evaporators started processing high-level radioactive waste in 1951. Two new evaporator plants, 

242-S and 242-A, commenced operation in November 1973 and 1977, respectively. External 

exposure would be due to high-energy beta and photon radiations from the FPs in the tanks. 

Personnel exposures normally are controlled using shielding, distance, and time limits. Most external 

exposures would relate to leaks of high-level wastes. Internal exposures to FPs were controlled 

through the use of respiratory protection. The 242-T Evaporator was shut down in 1976 (Briggs 2001, 

p. 33). The 242-A Evaporator is still in operation.

2.2.6.5 Chemical Separations Exhaust Filtration Facilities

Gaseous waste is grouped into three headings: dissolver off-gases, process vessel vent systems, 

and exhaust ventilation air. Dissolver off-gases contained the major portion of the radioactive iodine 

(primarily 131I), as well as krypton and xenon isotopes. Dissolver off-gases also carried a high 

concentration of nitrogen oxides from the reduction of nitric acid during the dissolution of the irradiated 

fuel elements. Table 2-2 lists the three exhaust filtration devices that were used starting in 1947 to 

reduce radioactive material releases from the B and T Separations Plants and later the REDOX Plant:

Table 2-2. Exhaust filtration facilities [21]. 

Filtration devices Date installed

Caustic scrubbers 1947–1948

Sand filters and fiberglass filters 1947–1948 1954 (REDOX)

Silver reactors 1950

These filtration devices accumulated substantial quantities of radioactive materials from the 

separations and plutonium concentrations. The caustic scrubbers were used to remove 

radiochemical vapors from the process vessels. Sand filters were installed in the 202-S, 221-B, 

221-T, 291-B, 291-S, 291-T, and 291-Z facilities. The filters were used in separations process 

exhaust streams to remove particulates and to reduce ruthenium emissions from the exhaust stream. 

Silver reactors were installed primarily to remove 131I from the exhaust stream. Radionuclides of 

interest in the filtration devices included FPs, 103Ru, 106Ru, 131I, and 239Pu. Internal and external 

exposures that are associated with these radionuclides would occur primarily during maintenance 

operations. These filtration devices became inactive as the separations facilities were shut down.

2.2.6.6 340, 340-A and 340-B Liquid Waste Handling Buildings

The 340 facility complex was operated starting in 1954 to receive radioactive liquid wastes from 

various 300 Area laboratories via the radioactive liquid waste sewer line [22]. The complex 

accumulates the liquid wastes in storage tanks. After sample analyses and pH adjustment, the liquid 

wastes are shipped via a shielded railcar tank to the 200-E Area Tank Farms for treatment and 

disposal. The radionuclides of concern include 60Co, 90Sr, 90Y, 137Cs, 147Pm, 238Pu, 239Pu, and 144Ce. 

Access to the tank area was administratively controlled. The external exposures to the operators 

relate to the high-energy betas and photons. Internal exposures were unplanned and related to leaks 

or an accident. The facility is still in use. 
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2.2.7

2.2.7.1 700 Area

Miscellaneous Areas

The 700 Area is in downtown Richland, Washington. It includes the Federal Building, where most of 

the AEC (and now DOE) staff were located, and other mostly office buildings. The in vivo counting 

facility is and always has been housed in the 747A Building; it contains sealed calibration sources and 

phantoms. The Dosimetry and Radiological Records Programs were housed in the 712 Building from 

the 1970s to 1985. No contamination areas or large radiological sources existed in the 700 Area.

2.2.7.2 3000 Area

The 3000 Area is near the Hanford Site in North Richland. Established during World War II, the 3000 

Area was originally the site of a camp that housed construction personnel and military police. After 

the war, the 3000 Area became part of the North Richland Construction Camp. The establishment of 

the U.S. Army’s Camp Hanford in North Richland in 1951 included the acquisition of most of the 3000 

Area and the construction camp. Although the area presently contains mostly office buildings, 

laboratory work with limited radiological exposure has occurred.

2.2.7.3 1100 Area

The 1100 Area is a strip between the railroad tracks and Stevens Drive north of Snyder Street to the 

southern site boundary. The 1100 Area housed site support services, such as general stores, 

shipping, receiving, transportation, maintenance, and general warehouse facilities (Marceau et al. 

2002, p. 2-1.7). Opportunities for radiological exposure were limited but cannot be ruled out.

2.3 WORK WITH RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS

2.3.1

Thorium metal was also called myrnalloy, 10-66, and Q. Thorium oxide was referred to as thoria. 

Thorium fuel elements were used in the reactors for neutron flux-flattening and for the irradiation of 

232Th to produce 233U.

Thorium

2.3.1.1 1940s

Gydesen (1954) describes the first activities with thorium at Hanford. Small metallic pieces from Oak 

Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) were used in October 1945 for experiments on physical 

characterization in Hanford laboratories (presumably in the 300 Area). This included machining two 

thorium slugs to standard size and performing trial canning (Smith 1945). Similar metallic pieces were 

used to determine thorium’s effects on reactor reactivity in the 305 Test Pile.

In January 1946, Hanford received a shipment of 150 lb of thorium, which consisted of crooked 4- to 

5-ft-long rods that required straightening before machining (Smith 1946; Gydesen 1954). To prevent 

the rods from being contaminated with uranium from the contaminated equipment in the 314 Building, 

these thorium rods were straightened manually in the 300 Area Maintenance Shop with a 75-ton 

press. This shop was possibly in the 3722 Building (known later as the Area Shop) or in the Tool 

Room Shop inside the 313 Building. After straightening, the rods were cut into 33 slugs with a power 

hacksaw, then machined on a small lathe in the 313 Tool Room (Kidder 1946). The slugs were then 

canned, welded, and tested for integrity by autoclaving in the 314 Building (Gydesen 1954; Gerber 

1992). Airborne contamination readings in and near the 313 and 314 Buildings were frequently high. 
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Health Instruments Division monitors often reported “metal dust” in building and vicinity air as being 

“over tolerance” for uranium with ventilation “not adequate” (Gerber 1992). Before charging them into 

a production reactor, some of these 33 slugs were placed in a test pile (assumed to be the 305 Test 

Reactor) to determine their effect on neutron flux distribution. On March 26, 1946, these thorium 

slugs were charged into the 105-D Reactor for testing of their effects on reactivity.

The first production batch of 30 thorium slugs was inserted into a Hanford reactor in 1946 (Wende 

1946a,b).

In April 1947, 171.2 additional lb of thorium rods were received at Hanford and were machined into 

44 slugs (Smith 1947; Kattner 1948; Gydesen 1954).

2.3.1.2 1950s

The first major tests of metallic thorium elements in the Hanford reactors began with element 

fabrication using standard Hanford techniques on metallic thorium slugs in the 300 Area facilities in 

late 1951. Production Test PT-105-516-A began in D Reactor in July 1952 (Brugge 1956). 

Production Test PT-105-551-A started about October 1953 in B, D, and H Reactors, while some of the 

earlier test slugs might have still been in place (Brugge 1956). It is likely that most of these fuel 

elements were actually shipped to ORNL for processing because no records of their dissolution in the 

Hanford facilities has been found and Gydesen (1954) indicates that they were to be visually 

examined “before shipment to Oak Ridge” [23]. 

Many problems connected with the rapid formation of a thick coat of oxide on the thorium metal 

targets led to experiments with a variety of bonding methods and coatings. These tests resulted in 

large-scale thorium contamination being introduced into the 313 Metal Fabrication Building and 

surrounding fuel warehouses (Gerber 1992).

By the end of 1953, thorium elements were in use in all Hanford reactors for use as flux-flattening 

poisons; they replaced lithium-aluminum and bismuth (DeNeal 1970).

Thorium work was conducted in the 306 Building (alloy and fabrication test and development) from 

1955 through 1970 [first mention of canning and cold rolling found in Stevens (1955a), air 

concentration measurements in Stevens (1955b)]; the 3706 Building (radiochemistry in support of fuel 

fabrication) from 1954 through 1963; and the 3722 Building (machining of thorium rods in the early 

years, and later the fabrication of pelletized fuel targets) from 1946 through 1970. Chemical process 

development occurred in the 321 Building. Gerber (1992) indicates that the 3707-A and 3707-B 

change houses became contaminated from the nearby fuel fabrication and scrap storage buildings. 

Contamination (probably mostly uranium [24]) was spread into the change houses via powders and 

fines on the hands, clothing, shoes, and hair of personnel.

The chemical separation of various forms of thorium target fuel elements after irradiation took place in 

the 321 Building using the thorium extraction (THOREX) process (Gerber 1992; EPA 2001). Activities 

in the 321 Building basically involved small-scale prototypes of processes in the large processing 

facilities using nonradioactive chemicals or tracer amounts of radioactivity materials, although 

activities up to curie amounts were used for some tests. It is not known how much thorium was used 

in the building, but equipment was designed and installed in the Cold Semiworks (321 Building) and 

approximately 1,300 lb of ThO2 was fired to about 1,000°C in March 1964 (GE 1964a, p. C.2). 

Training for radiation safety with thorium was given to the 321 Building staff in 1964 (GE 1964a).
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The 3706 Building was involved with development activities including all components of the bismuth 

phosphate, REDOX, PUREX, and RECUPLEX processes; bioassay and environmental sample 

analyses; and machining and grinding of metallurgical test samples. Work with thorium is not known

but probable. Contamination resulted from inadequate containment systems, spills, overflows, 

vaporization, spreads of radioactive dusts and fines, and other incidents that involved the loss of 

control of radioactive materials. In 1954, the building underwent a major decontamination and 

remodeling effort and many of the laboratories were converted to offices. Sampling laboratories for 

fuel fabrication operations continued until they were transferred to the 3720 Building in the mid-1960s 

(EPA 2001).

2.3.1.3 1960s

A small test of thorium irradiation and 233U extraction was conducted in 1963 (Matsumoto ,Weiler, and 

Schneider 1963a,b). The test was conducted in two series, each involving irradiation of 4 (or maybe 

8) ampoules of about 1 g each of thorium oxide. After irradiation, the 233U, 232U, and 230Th were 

extracted and measured. The operations were conducted in the Shielded Analytical Laboratory, 

which was a wing of hot cells in the 325 Building.

There were two major campaigns and an earlier smaller test campaign intended to produce 233U at 

Hanford (Isochem 1967a; Walser 1978) (see Section 2.3.5.) The campaigns involved manufacture of 

thoria target elements (called wafers), irradiation, element dissolution in PUREX, shipping of the 233U 

product, and recovery and recycling or storage of the unactivated thorium.

After a canning technique was determined, powdered thorium oxide fuel targets for these campaigns 

were fabricated in the 3732 Building from 1965 to 1967. Sintering of the wafers was part of the 

process in the 3732 Building. A new technique involving pelletized targets replaced the 3732 Building 

operations. The pelletized targets were fabricated in the 3722 Building from 1968 through 1970. In 

addition, that building housed a furnace for the “recycling” (reduction) of depleted thorium oxide after it 

was processed in PUREX.

Thoria wafer irradiation occurred in B, C, D, KE, and KW reactors. Details are provided in Bowles and 

Schmidt (1966) and DeNeal (1970, pp. 46–48.).

Processing of the irradiated thorium targets was performed in three distinct campaigns with extensive 

cleaning of the PUREX lines and tanks before and after introduction of the irradiated thorium wafers. 

The campaigns included a small test campaign in 1965 (Briggs 2001) and two production campaigns 

in 1966 and 1970. For the 1965 campaign, the original dissolution was not conducted at PUREX but 

additional purification of the nitrate solution was (Isochem 1967a; Walser 1978). The PUREX thorium 

work recovered approximately 565 tons of thorium in the nitrate form from both campaigns (Gerber 

1992; Walser 1978; ARHCO 1971).

When not recycled to the 3732 Building, the thorium nitrate was stored in the WR Vault in the 200 

West Area (Isochem 1967a). This was a standalone storage area slightly northeast of U Plant. The 

date the thorium was removed has not been discovered, but the building had residual contamination 

up to recent years. Entries into the building were rare. Entries required respiratory protection 

because of the potential for resuspended contamination [25].

There were several storage buildings in the vicinity of the 313 Building that might have stored thorium 

in some manner. Those were 303 A, B, C, D, E, F, G, and K (Gerber 1992). Until recently, thorium 

scrap materials were stored in the 303-K Facility; removal was completed September 30, 2001 

(FH 2001, Section C.2).
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During 1965 and 1966, an experimental processing of commercial thorium nitrate into thorium oxide 

powder was carried out in the UO3 Plant using the old electric pots. The goal of this work was to 

produce thorium oxide powder suitable for fabrication into reactor target elements for 233U production 

(Gerber 1993a). The task involved a few hundred pounds of thorium.

2.3.1.4 Thorium-Related Fuel Element Failures in Hanford Reactors

All known fuel-element failures in the single-pass Hanford reactors are summarized in Gydesen 

(1993). Just over 2,000 leaks in the fuel cladding of various degrees of severity are reported. The 

vast majority of the fuel-element failures involved uranium elements. A history of the thoria program 

and descriptions of the first 25 failures are provided by Bowles and Schmidt (1966). Table 2-3 lists 

the thorium element failures. Except perhaps for brief periods in 1965 and 1966 in KE and KW 

Reactors, dosimetric contributions from thorium, either from external irradiation or inhalation, would 

have been greatly overwhelmed by the activation products, FPs, and actinides in the uranium 

elements from other fuel failures [26].

2.3.2

2.3.2.1 1940s and 1950s

Americium-241

The Hanford monthly report for July 1949 (GE 1949a) notes work on a method to separate americium 

and curium from lanthanides. This appears to be benchtop-scale chemistry. No building was 

mentioned, but the same report had a separate report for activities in the 234-5Z Building, which had 

first come on line that same month and was having some startup difficulties (Gerber 2005), with no 

mention of americium separation activities. This work is mentioned again in the September report, so

apparently it was ongoing at that point (GE 1949b). It is most probable that this work was being done 

in the 231-Z Concentration Building.

 
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Table 2-3. List of thorium fuel element failures in Hanford reactors.

a

Year Date Facility Activity Number

1954 21 Jan H

First Th slug failure in a reactor ("Grossly 

mis-machined, should not have been canned.") 3884-H

1954 27 Apr B Pushed out tube and metal column 10-66

1954 20 Sep B PT-105-551 3(Q)

1965 19 Jan KW 4653-KW T1

1965 19 Jan KW 4653-KW

1965 19 Jan KW Unknown KW

1965 18 Feb KE 5881-KE T2

1965 22 Feb KW 1865-KW T3

1965 22 Feb KW 3083-KW T4

1965 22 Feb KW 1374-KW

1965 1 Mar KE Caused by a spline left in the tube; tube removed T5

1965 25 Mar C 0172-C T6

1965 29 Mar KW 1853-KW T7

1965 29 Mar KW 4265-KW T8

1965 31 Mar KE 5885-KE T9

1965 3 May KW 4971-KW T10

1965 3 May KW 3553-KW T11

1965 3 May KW 3559-KW

1965 12 May C 1196-C T12

1965 12 May C 2396-C T13

1965 14 May C 3496-C T14

1965 23 Jun C 0358-C T15

1965 26 Jun KW 4168-KW T16

1965 27 Jul C 3853-C T17

1965 13 Sep KE 2898-KE; end cap completely removed T20

1965 21 Oct KE 5852-KE T21

1965 30 Dec KE 4274-KE T22

1966 13 Apr KE 3298-KE T23

1966 7 Jul KE 5791-KE T24

1966 17 Oct KW 5546-KW T25

1968 25 Nov KW 5791-KW T26

1968 18 Dec KW 4898-KW T27

1970 2 Jun KE 0174-KE --

a. From Gydesen (1954, 1993), Bowles and Schmidt (1966).

The June 1950 report (GE 1950a) indicates that a 1-day special irradiation on a 0.01-g sample of 

americium was conducted in the reactor and the sample shipped to the University of California 

Radiation Laboratory. There is also mention of work on a procedure to separate americium and 

curium from plutonium in irradiated uranium solutions and that several samples had been successfully 

obtained. There is no mention of sample sizes or where the work was being conducted (GE 1950a).

The July 1950 report (GE 1950b) states that a request for >50 mg of americium was received from the 

AEC for an offsite customer, so 25 sample cans from the 234-5Z Building were set aside to allow 

ingrowth of the 241Am. In September, possible extraction chemistry was presented as Production Test 

321-12. The letter report indicated that the process could be done by one to three operators 

(Szulinski and Parker 1950). In November 1950, 70 mg of 241Am had been extracted from those 

samples in the 231-Z Building. The report says that the americium-bearing supernatants were to be 

concentrated at the 234-5Z Building in one of the recovery units (GE 1950c; Gerber 2005). However, 

this task was not mentioned again in subsequent monthly reports.
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In March 1951, about 24 mg of americium were recovered in a special run in the 231-Z Building (GE 

1951).

Recovery of plutonium from scrap metals and powders began in the Skull Recovery Facility (Hoods 

40 and 41 in the 234-5Z Building) in November 1952. The process also allowed for extraction of 

americium (Gerber 2005). However, the February 1953 Hanford Works monthly report indicates that 

the actual separation of americium from the dissolved solutions occurred at the 231-Z Building (GE 

1953b) as does the final report on the production test (Packer 1954, p. 3).

Improved scrap recovery processes including RECUPLEX in 1955 and ion exchange after the 

RECUPLEX criticality accident in 1962 provided the capability to skew the plutonium-americium ratio 

substantially in some liquid waste streams by selectively removing the plutonium. Therefore, waste 

lines and tanks would have been enriched with americium [27].

2.3.2.2 1960s and 1970s

J. S. Buckingham proposed a method to separate 241Am from high-level waste from REDOX or 

PUREX using the I-F cubicle in 222-S in 1964 (Buckingham 1964a). The cubicle was a hot-cell-like 

facility that was designed to handle samples of high-level waste remotely. It was used to separate 

samples of 147Pm and 237Np from PUREX and REDOX high-level wastes. However, Mr. Buckingham 

stated in an interview that the work was not funded and major work involving separation of 241Am was 

not done at 222-S while he was there. He said that he believed a short project was conducted after 

the 147Pm work was concluded (Bihl 2008a). This agrees with a series of 241Am bioassays that were 

obtained from several construction workers in response to a contamination spread that occurred due 

to cutting into some process lines in the 1-F cubical in 1967. Contamination smears showed that the 

contamination consisted of 241Am and 147Pm.

The Plutonium Reclamation Facility, 236-Z, recovered plutonium from various types of production 

scrap. The Facility initiated a chemical run on March 3, 1964, even though construction was not

complete until June 1964 (Briggs 2001). In early years, most americium in the liquid waste from the 

236-Z Facility went to soil disposal cribs. Later, the waste stream was sent to the 241-Z storage tanks 

and ultimately to the Tank Farms. The Waste Treatment Facility, 242-Z, was built to capture traces of 

plutonium in the liquid waste stream from the 236-Z Facility and to selectively remove and concentrate 

the americium from its waste stream. Briggs (2001) indicates that Phase I started in August 1964, 

and the first americium was recovered in September 1964. The Waste Treatment Facility was shut 

down and closed off after an ion exchange column explosion on August 30, 1976.

Laboratory-scale R&D of flowsheets (separations procedures) for the processes in the Plutonium 

Reclamation Facility and the Waste Treatment Facility was done in the Plutonium Chemistry 

Laboratory (in the 234-5Z Building), apparently starting in 1963 and continuing until at least 1966 

(Hopkins 1965, p. 68; Szulinski and Curtis 1963; Kingsley 1964a,b, 1965; Isochem 1966a). Similar 

chemistry research, development, and support was conducted in the Chemical Technology 

Laboratory (also in the 234-5Z Building) on a number of things most likely including 241Am, according 

to an interview of a PFP chemist (Bihl 2008b). Dates for the latter work were not determined 

precisely, but the chemist suggested the early to mid-1960s (Bihl 2008b). 

Other americium flowsheet development was conducted in a modified fume hood in the 325 Building 

in 1964 (Wheelwright 1964; Bihl and Napier 2008). This work involved some tracer-level work that 

was followed by a trial with 1.6 Ci of 241Am in 7 L of nitrate with trace quantities of plutonium, thorium, 

and other metals. The chemist who conducted the work was interviewed by phone (Bihl 2008c) and 

produced a set of overheads for a presentation he had given a few times about the subject of these 
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separations at 325 Building (no hard copy available). According to the presentation, 3 kg of pure 

241Am were separated in A Cell of the 325 Building in four campaigns in 1973 through 1976. The 

material was converted to oxide form, placed in shipping containers, and shipped to ORNL. The final 

steps were done in a glovebox.

There was considerable interest in separating various radionuclides from high-level waste in the 

1960s and 1970s, including 241Am. The feed material was generally PUREX 1WW (first cycle waste) 

or waste from the commercial nuclear power plant at Shippingport, Pennsylvania (Gerber 1992, 

p. 138). In 1966, Isochem and Battelle Memorial Institute were gearing up for extraction of a number 

of isotopes from dissolution of Shippingport fuel in REDOX (Roberts and Bray 1966; Beard 1967). 

The isotopes being investigated were 147Pm, 241Am, 244Cm, and 144Ce (Gerber 1992, p. 138). The plan 

was to do initial cleanup of the FP waste at 201-C (Hot Semiworks, Strontium Semiworks) with final 

purification of the various radionuclides at the 325 Building. This work was done in A Cell (a hot cell), 

which was also used to purify the 147Pm (Gerber 1992, p. 139). To test the developed flowsheets, the 

chemists ran test samples in 1966 using actual REDOX and Shippingport fuel wastes at 201-C and in 

the hot cells in 325 Building (Roberts and Bray 1966; Beard 1967). Some of this work might have 

been done in 1965. The May 1965 PNNL monthly report (PNL 1965a, p. 152) indicates that attempts 

at extraction of americium were being conducted at “Semiworks.” The 200 Area monthly report for 

March 1966, for instance, stated, “The promethium feed concentrate, recently sent to Battelle 

Northwest, and containing 1.5 to 2 kg of well-aged Pm-147, is estimated to contain 40 grams of Am241; it is planned to recover this material” (Christy 1966a, p.16). Larger scale work was done in 1967 

and 1968. Bray (1967) indicates that a campaign using the waste from Shippingport fuels was 

conducted at REDOX from December 1966 through February 1967. As planned, the crudely 

separately material was sent to “Strontium Semiworks” for additional cleanup, which was completed 

by September 1967. The material was then sent to the hot cells in the 325 Building to await final 

separation of americium, curium, and promethium. In a July 2008 interview, one of the chemists 

indicated that the separation of the americium and curium was conducted during 1968 and into the 

1970s. He showed a picture of 8 g of curium that was purified in the 325 Building hot cells in 1968 

(Bihl and Napier 2008). The February 1969 monthly report stated that the remains of the Shippingport 

americium and curium separation was shipped to the Savannah River Site (SRS) at that time 

(Albaugh 1969, p. 57).

Some special flowsheet development work was done in the 324 Building from August through 

November 1967, specifically applicable to the possibility of separating 241Am and rare earths from 

B-Plant stock (PNL 1967a, p. 42; 1967b; p. 50; 1967c, p. 53). The August runs used cold reagents 

with some 241Am tracer. Later runs in October and November might have used higher level activity 

(PNL 1967b, p. 50; 1967c, p. 53). Slightly different americium flowsheet development was also done 

in the 324 Building by the same researcher in November and December 1967 (PNL 1968, pp. 64, 65.)

Gerber (1992, p. 41) states that the north end of the 3708 Building was used in the early 1970s for the 

experimental canning of americium and curium oxide fuel blends for irradiation in the single-pass 

reactors.

2.3.3

Neptunium-237 was irradiated to produce 238Pu, which was a heat source for thermal generators.

Neptunium

At Hanford, neptunium had several pseudonyms: birch, palm, and brandy. One of the programs to 

extract and irradiate 237Np to create 238Pu was called Palmolive, with the 238Pu being called olive. 

Brandywine was also used to refer to 237Np nitrate being shipped from Hanford.
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2.3.3.1 Before 1958

Possibly the first handling of 237Np at Hanford occurred in 1945. In a letter to file, W. E. Jordan 

discusses plans to use a Hanford reactor, probably B Reactor, to irradiate 1 mg of 237Np. However, 

the target was to be fabricated at the Chicago Metallurgical Laboratory and returned there after 

irradiation (Jordan 1945). Whether the irradiation took place was not found, but small-scale special 

irradiations in the Hanford reactors were common throughout their lifetimes.

The May 1948 200 Area monthly report listed as activities for the month “preparation for and crude 

separation of Neptunium from metal wastes of 385 g/ton material” (Christy 1948, p. 50). The June 

1948 monthly report states, “170 liters of neptunium solution were shipped to Argonne National 

Laboratory” (Christy 1948, p. 71). It is surmised that this crude separation occurred at either T Plant 

or B Plant and, because purification of neptunium had not been developed at Hanford yet (see 

Section 2.3.2.2), it contained high activities of plutonium and FPs.

In 1957, Hanford was investigating the amount of 237Np in and potentially extractable from weaponsgrade spent fuel and investigating chemical procedures for extracting the neptunium at the fuel 

separations facilities (Sheppard and Becker 1957; Judson 1958). The Sheppard and Becker report 

indicates that small laboratory-scale samples were grabbed from the PUREX dissolution stream and 

analyzed for the 237Np content as early as November 1956 (Sheppard and Becker 1957, p. 3). Three 

small runs that simulated the PUREX chemistry conditions were run in February 1957 (GE 1957, 

p. 62).

2.3.3.2 Work with Significant Quantities

2.3.3.2.1 Separation of Neptunium from Normal Fuel

Extraction of neptunium-enriched nitrate solution from PUREX began on August 7, 1958, with two 

campaigns in 1958 (August and November) that resulted in 485 g of neptunium (Briggs 2001, p. 25; 

Travis 1958; Geier and Rathvon 1961, p. 1). Purification of neptunium was performed in a special 

room at the 222-S Laboratory called the 1-F Cubicle (Bihl 2008a; Buckingham 1964a, pp. 2, 3). The 

operation was described as mostly remotely handled in a hot-cell-like room, which required some 

hands-on work at the loading and unloading ends of the process (Bihl 2008a). Similar extraction 

started at REDOX in November 1959. This material was also purified at 222-S.

During the period of neptunium solution purification at 222-S, the incoming material from PUREX and 

REDOX was highly contaminated. For instance, impurity data on run numbers 12 through 58 (in 

1958) and 40, 44, 46, 52, and 53 (circa 1961) show that the activity of plutonium, mostly 239+240Pu, 

ranged from 3 to 81 times greater than the activity of 237Np (Buckingham 1959, 1961). [Note: the 

plutonium impurities are recorded as “g Pu/g Np”; these were converted to activity using the specific 

activity for weapons-grade plutonium of 0.08 Ci/g and specific activity of 237Np of 7.05 × 10-4 Ci/g.] 

[28]. However, the product of the purification work had low levels of contaminants; the activity of 

plutonium ranged from 0.3% to 4% of the neptunium activity for the six runs (Buckingham 1959, 1961) 

[29]. Therefore, during the part of the process that involved conversion of neptunium nitrate to oxide 

(done remotely) and especially loading of the neptunium product into shipping containers [more 

hands-on but done while wearing respirators (Bihl 2008a)], an intake of the neptunium would not have 

been readily detected by plutonium bioassay. According to Buckingham, all of this work was done by 

himself and a laboratory assistant with one other chemist helping on a few occasions. Also according 

to Buckingham, there were no incidents or high air concentrations that required special bioassay or 

that interrupted the processing (Bihl 2008a).
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In addition to the purification work at 222-S, laboratory-scale fume-hood-level research was 

conducted at the 325 Building in the 300 Area in late 1958 or early 1959 (Ryan 1959). This research 

on purification methods was eventually used in Q Cell at PUREX.

Starting in 1963, the purification of the neptunium was transferred to PUREX in J Cell and Q Cell, and 

purification at 222-S was stopped (Buckingham 1963, p. 3; Briggs 2001, p. 27; Duckworth 1963, 

Part 1, p. 2, Part 2, p. 1;CC 1963). Specifications for most of the shipments of neptunium from 

PUREX from August 1963 to May 1972 were found, but no data were found for the shipments in 1965 

(GE 1965; Isochem 1967a; Isochem and ARHCO 1972; Malody 1971a,b,c, 1972a,b). The final 

product that was shipped from PUREX to the SRS was generally of similar purity to the earlier 

material that was produced at 222-S. Of the 84 shipment records that were found, the median 

plutonium activity in relation to neptunium activity was 1.3% and the upper 95th percentile was 9.9%. 

For only one shipment was the plutonium activity greater than the neptunium activity [30]. For 

samples drawn from early stages of the separation and purification process the plutonium activity 

probably dominated the total alpha activity of the mixture, but for exposure to the final product 

plutonium would not have been a sensitive indicator of intake.

There is evidence that separation of neptunium at REDOX continued after the work at 222-S stopped, 

with concentration being done at the 233-S Building followed by shipment to PUREX for purification. 

This work was done intermittently throughout 1966 (Christy 1966a, p. 5; 1966b, p. 4). The December 

monthly report indicates that REDOX was gearing up for the final neptunium campaign (Christy 

1967a, p. 5).

Some small-scale experimentation on neptunium separation techniques continued at 222-S in 1970 

and 1971 (e.g., Schultz 1971 in ARHCO 1972b, p. 783).

The known records for PUREX mention that the neptunium nitrate was being shipped to the SRS. 

However, some of the nitrate was converted to oxide at the Plutonium Chemistry Laboratory in the 

PFP. The first mention was in a brief history of work in the Plutonium Chemistry Laboratory that 

covered 1952 to 1965. The entry is for August 1958 and states, “Neptunium oxide (<200 ppm metallic 

impurities) produced by oxalate precipitation and calcinations...” (Hopkins 1965, p. 26). Therefore, 

this work must have involved the first batch that was separated at 222-S. It appears that this material 

was then shipped to the University of California Radiation Laboratory (Hopkins 1958). Neptunium is 

not mentioned again in the Hopkins history through 1965, which implies no other work on neptunium 

was done in the Plutonium Chemistry Laboratory. Neptunium work started up again in 1966 

(Dickeman 1966, pp. 8,9; Kingsley 1967a, title page; Kingsley 1967b, pp. 6–9; Christy 1966a p. 3; 

1966c, p. 4). This material appears to be part of the effort to create a complete Palmolive project at 

Hanford (Section 2.3.2.3). The March 1967 monthly report by Kingsley (1967b, pp. 6–9) clearly 

shows that the neptunium nitrate came from PNNL and it had high activities of FPs (e.g., 1,000 μCi 

106Ru/g Np, 225 μCi 95Nb-Zr/g Np). It has not been discovered yet when this work ceased. A 

Radiation Survey Card for the Development Laboratory (also known as the Plutonium Chemistry 

Laboratory) in 1969 mentions survey of neptunium samples in a glovebox, but it is not known if this 

was part of the oxidation project or just some leftover samples.

PUREX shut down in 1972, and neptunium separation was not done when PUREX restarted in the 

1980s. Therefore, 1972 is the endpoint of work with neptunium nitrate in the 200 Areas.
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2.3.3.2.2 Fabrication of Neptunium Target Elements

Neptunium-237 was irradiated to produce 238Pu. Fabrication of neptunium target elements would 

have involved handling the purified neptunium mixture from 222-S or PUREX Q Cell with little 

plutonium impurity.

Fabrication of neptunium target elements appears to have started in early 1959 at the 231-Z 

Plutonium Metallurgical Laboratory. Buckingham mentioned that either the nitrate or oxide was 

shipped to ORNL and SRS, but some of the oxide was mixed with aluminum powder and sent to the 

231-Z Building for fabrication into neptunium-aluminum alloy target elements (Bihl 2008a,d). A 

February 1959 letter from A. T. Gifford, AEC Hanford Operations Office, seems to indicate that 

fabrication was occurring at 231-Z, although the legibility of the letter is poor (Gifford 1959a). Other 

Gifford letters authorize fabrication of the third and fourth batches of target elements, which implies 

that the first and second batches had been done or were in process (Gifford 1959b,c). Manufacturing 

of target elements is also mentioned by Judson and Beard (1959) but not by Judson and Kusler 

(1958), which narrows the start date to early 1959. A series of Radiation Monitoring Operations 

monthly reports sporadically mention work with 237Np fuel rods from January 1960 through April 1961 

(Stevens 1960a,b,c, p. 9; 1961a,b, p. 10; 1961c, p. 9).

The next mention of fabrication of target elements is associated with another effort to get Hanford 

involved with the complete Palmolive cycle starting about 1966. This project started in late 1965 with 

a request to AEC Headquarters to hold back 5,000 g of neptunium from the regular shipments to SRS 

for irradiation in N Reactor (Williams 1965). The N Reactor irradiation program is explained in detail 

by Dickeman (1966). It involved obtaining a total of 5,000 g of neptunium in two batches (January 

and March 1966), target element fabrication as a joint activity by PNNL and General Electric, 

irradiation in N Reactor, dissolution in PUREX, separation and purification of the neptunium and the 

238Pu by PNNL, conversion of the neptunium to oxide and shipment to SRS by Isochem (which was 

the operating contractor for the 200 Areas at that time), and conversion of the 238Pu to oxide and 

shipment to Mound by PNNL. Gerber (1992, p. 186) states that the fabrication was done in the 308 

Plutonium Fuels Pilot Plant and that neptunium oxide fuel targets were manufactured and canned in 

the 3708 Building in 1968 (p. 41). Subsequent documents indicate that the purification work by PNNL 

was done in C Cell in the 325 Building and the conversion of the neptunium to oxide was done at the 

Plutonium Chemistry Laboratory at 234-5Z, with the first elements being dissolved in October 1966 

(Kingsley 1967a,b; Soine and Benedict 1968; Soine 1968; Roberts and Lerch 1968; Lerch 1968). 

Forty-four elements were fabricated and irradiated in N Reactor (Constable 1967). Constable’s report 

of July 1967 is called the final report on the irradiation phase of the project, and the PNNL documents 

were all issued on October 1968, so it is concluded that the work on this project ended in 1968.

According to Wheelwright (1970), another round of irradiation and neptunium and plutonium 

separation occurred in 1969 and 1970 using a new dissolver in C Cell. The article does not say when 

the target elements were fabricated, but the semiannual report on process development in the Atlantic 

Richfield Hanford Company (ARHCO) for May 1 through October 31, 1969, states that 1 kg of 

neptunium was converted from nitrate to oxide during the reporting period for use by Douglas United 

Nuclear for target fabrication and irradiation studies (Isaacson and Tomlinson 1969, p. 46). The 

decanning occurred at the Radiometallurgy Building (327 Building) (p. 8), and the remaining work 

occurred in the A, B, and C Hot Cells at the 325 Building. The article shows that the leftover 

neptunium was oxidized at the 325 Building (p. 17) and returned to ARHCO (p. 19).
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2.3.3.2.3 Separation of 237Np from 238Pu After Irradiation of the Target Elements

The facilities and times of the two campaigns for dissolution of the irradiated neptunium targets are 

discussed above. The removal of 238Pu from the neptunium product was not highly effective and, 

because of the large difference in specific activities, the product had more (by activity) 238Pu than 

237Np. For instance, Soine and Benedict (1968, p. 1) states that the 238Pu impurity in the 237Np product 

was 0.14% by weight. This converts to nearly 35 times more 238Pu by activity than 237Np [31]. 

Similarly, the 237Np product from the dissolution and purification work by Wheelwright was 

predominately 238Pu by activity with an activity ratio of nearly 40 (Wheelwright 1970, p. 19) [32]. 

2.3.4

In the 1960s, Hanford was involved in extracting radionuclides from waste products, usually to 

produce heat sources. The pattern of development was similar in the cases of all isotopes.

Promethium-147

Initial laboratory scouting studies were performed and flowsheet variables optimized 

with “cold” or tracer-level synthetic solution. This was followed with full-level proof-ofprinciple “brick pile” or “hot cell” tests on actual plant feed materials. Not infrequently, 

the intense radioactivity of these solutions or the presence of unsuspected impurities 

would require extensive modifications to achieve a workable process. Following hot 

cell testing and cold engineering development ..., plant tests were conducted by the 

Chemical Process Department. Further laboratory and hot cell work was often 

required at this stage, with very close day-to-day collaboration between the laboratory 

and plant personnel (Moore 1964, p. 3).

Promethium-147 was one of the most significant of these extraction and purification operations. 

Hanford was the first location in the world to produce significant quantities of pure 147Pm.

2.3.4.1 Research, Development, and Early Tests

The earliest Hanford work found on 147Pm separation was in 1960 by Wheelwright, presumably in the 

325 Building because that is where he did most or all of his work (Wheelwright 1960). However, this 

work appears to be with simulated waste rather than actual FPs. It was common when developing 

new chemical flowsheets to start with cold simulated materials first, then work with trace or 

intermediate activities of the target material before trying actual waste products (Moore 1964, p. 3). 

The early Wheelwright work appears to be follow-on work to earlier development of a method to 

separate radioactive isotopes of cerium, promethium, lanthanum, yttrium, praseodymium, samarium, 

and niobium as a group from the PUREX 1WW waste (Wheelwright and Swift 1961) and separation of 

pure 144Ce from the same material (Wheelwright and Howard 1960).

Similar work was mentioned in the July and August 1961 monthly reports of the Chemical Research 

and Development Organization (Reas 1961a, pp. C-4, C-5; 1961b, p. C-7). This work appears to be 

development of a flowsheet for use at Hot Semiworks (201-C Building, 200 Area) for recovery of a 

rare earth fraction free of strontium and cerium, which could be further purified to separate pure 

elements (e.g., 147Pm). This work was done in the 325 B Cell with simulated PUREX 1WW waste.

Work with actual PUREX 1WW waste and purification of 147Pm started in September and October 

1961 and continued intermittently over the next several years. For instance, the September report of 

the Chemical Research and Development Organization mentions two B-Cell runs (Reas 1961c, p. 

C-7). The October report states that the second extraction of rare earths at PUREX was shipped to 

“the hot cells,” and that B Cell was used to reduce the 144Ce activity, the material then being moved to 
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A Cell for promethium purification (Reas 1961d, p. C-4). About 40 kCi of 147Pm were expected to be 

purified during this campaign. The November report adds that work at Hot Semiworks toward 

separating 147Pm was abandoned because of poor yield; however, the run at A Cell successfully 

purified 26.6 kCi (Reas 1961e, p. C-6). Although the original intent appears to have been to purify the 

promethium at Hot Semiworks, it is not clear that any pure 147Pm was extracted there. Purification at 

the 325 Building hot cells continued with emphasis on improving the chemistry. For instance, the 

February 1963 report (Reas 1963, pp. C-3–C-5, C-9) stated that laboratory work on the Cesium 

Strontium Rare Earth Extraction CSREX) process included studies that were aimed at improving the 

kinetics of cesium and promethium extraction with hot cell experiments with full-level PUREX 1WW 

waste. The report added that “analytical results verified last month’s conclusion that the ‘heart cut’ of 

over 10,000 Curies of promethium from the recent C-Cell ion exchange purification run is indeed 

chemically and radiochemically pure.” 

Associated research on promethium was being conducted in 1963, such as determining the decay 

energy and magnetic susceptibility (Wheelwright, Fleming, and Roberts 1963; Sheppard, Wheelwright 

and Roberts 1963). All this work appears to have been conducted in the 325 Building.

Wheelwright and Roberts (1963) summarized the various activities to that date. The earliest runs 

were “cold.” Runs in 1961 were hot with about 85 Ci/L147Pm and several times that of 144Ce and 90Y. 

The product of this run was apparently not sent anywhere, and in January 1963 was repurified in C 

Cell “as a demonstration of the capability of the process to yield high purity promethium and to highly 

purify 10,000 Ci for transmission to Oak Ridge at the request of the Atomic Energy Commission” 

(Wheelwright and Roberts 1963, p. 26).

In February 1963, there was a major contamination spread of 147Pm during work on the 10,000 Ci 

mentioned above (AEC 1963).

In the 329 Building in 1962 and 1963, research was done to determine the specific power and half-life 

of 147Pm (Fleming 1964, pp. 2.40–2.41). According to the author, this work was done with a clean, 

encapsulated, sealed source having about 1 kCi of activity. A sealed high-activity 147Pm source was 

subjected to neutron irradiation in a Van de Graaff accelerator in the 3745-B Building in February 

1963. Contamination up to 400 cpm was found in the tube where the source was housed for the 

irradiations. There was no mention in the radiation monitoring report of personal contamination or 

high airborne contamination (Stevens 1963a). Gerber states that chemists in the 321 Building were 

involved in prototype separation chemistry, but only tracer levels were used for the prototype 

experiments (Gerber 1992, p. 75). No timeframe for this work was mentioned. Gerber also mentions 

that work was done in the 327 Radiometallurgy Building in support of the 147Pm campaigns (next 

section) (Gerber 1992, p. 154).

2.3.4.2 Major Production

In early 1964, a feasibility study was conducted for installing equipment in Strontium Semiworks (Hot 

Semiworks or 201-C) for large-scale purification of 147Pm from either PUREX 1WW or waste from the 

separation of 137Cs and 90Sr operation at B Plant (Beard, Boldt, and Kendall 1964). The same report 

indicated that pilot-scale test equipment was “now being installed in the 222-S 1-F cubical” (p. 1). The 

1964 summary report on isotope separation projects stated that “to date” 20,000 Ci of 147Pm had been 

purified at the High Level Radiochemistry Facility (the 325 Building hot cells) and equipment had 

recently been installed in the 1-F cubical at 222-S for expected purification of about 1 MCi of 147Pm. 

Plans were being scoped for changes to Strontium Semiworks for routine processing of 147Pm on a 

production scale (Moore 1964, pp. 13–14). The hazards review for the work at 222-S on July 15, 

1964, indicates that the work had not started (Buckingham 1964b,c). J. S. Buckingham’s personal 
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letterbook indicates that the first 147Pm run at 222-S started in October 1964 and ended in November, 

with a second run starting in November (Buckingham 1964d). A letter from the 222-S radiation 

monitoring manager from November 1964 indicates that purification of 147Pm is scheduled for “one run 

to be processed for each month for the next four to six months...,” and provides a list of seven 

workers to be given 147Pm bioassay (Glover 1964). The end date for the work at 222-S was not 

precisely determined, although Buckingham left 222-S to work on B Plant and Waste Management 

issues in (approximately) September 1965 and said he was pretty sure the promethium work did not 

carry on much longer after he left (Bihl 2009a).

In 1965, the Pacific Northwest Laboratory (now PNNL) was created to include most of the R&D scope 

from the old General Electric contract, and the work in the 325 Building became part of the laboratory. 

Work continued toward major production of 147Pm sources in the 325 Building. Moore provided a 

summary of promethium isolation and purification steps as of June 1965 with an indication of future 

plans (Moore 1965, pp. 3–4). These included (1) separation of a crude concentrate at PUREX or 

B Plant, (2) aging, (3) chemical processing to remove some contaminates (e.g., iron, sodium, and 

lead) and concentrating the product before shipping to the 300 Area, and (4) final purification of 

promethium in the 325 Building hot cells. Moore indicated that steps 1 and 2 were underway, with the 

material being stored pending completion of upgrades to A Cell in the 325 Building (Moore 1965, 

pp. 3_5). Moore also indicated that steps in encapsulation of sources were to be done in 325, 308, 

and possibly 309 Buildings (Moore 1965, pp. 7–8). The Monthly Activities Report for May 1965 

indicated that the installation of 147Pm purification equipment “has been essentially completed in 

A Cell of the High Level Radiochemistry Facility” (PNL 1965a, p. 21). This apparently was the 

upgrade Moore mentioned in his summary.

The January and February 1966 reports for the 200 Area show about 1.7 and 3.0 kCi, respectively, of 

147Pm being extracted from PUREX and B Plant (Christy 1966c, p. 8; 1966d, p.10). The March report 

stated, “At the Strontium Semiworks, promethium processing was started. By month end, two runs 

had been completed with 730 kCi Pm-147 recovered in the first run and 1,250 kCi Pm-147 recovered 

in the second run.” These were the first-step separations that included other desirable FPs as well: 

about equal activity of 144Ce and “greater than 95% of the americium-241 was also recovered” (Christy 

1966c, p. 11). The purification and fabrication work in the 300 Area appears to have started in March 

or April 1966 (Vogel 1968; Fawcett, Albaugh, and Paul 1966, p. 53), although Howell and King stated 

that it started in the summer of 1966 (Howell and King 1968, p. 6). The Howell and King document 

described the process equipment and radiation control practices in detail. In addition to the hot cells, 

gloveboxes were used in the final steps of building of the heat sources, including the conversion of the 

nitrate solution to oxide, firing, and compaction of the oxide (p. 2). The document also stated that final 

encapsulation as a heat source was “accomplished in another glovebox of similar construction in a 

different building” (p. 2). It also mentioned that development work with low-concentration solutions of 

promethium was being done in fume hoods as well as some development of encapsulation methods. 

“No significant contamination control problems have resulted from any of the work in the fume hoods” 

(p. 2).

Some promethium work was done in the 308 Building in 1969, and these workers had bioassay 

(Howell 1969; Jech 1969). The 308 Building is probably the “other building” mentioned in Howell and 

King (1968).

2.3.5

The first known mention of work with 235U was in the 313 Building in July 1948 (GE 1948, p.139). The 

report states, “Special process material containing U-235 was received and canned in special pieces. 

Special containers were used to keep the number of slugs stored in one place to less than thirty. No 

Highly Enriched Uranium
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contamination was encountered and exposure-rates were less than for natural uranium.” The slugs 

were irradiated in D and F Reactors, and shipped back to ORNL (Gross 1948).

Hanford canned and irradiated fuel elements that were referred to as J slugs and C slugs between 

1949 and 1956 (Burley 1956, p. 722; Gifford 1956). J slugs were a uranium-aluminum alloy with 

about 7.5% uranium by weight, of which about 93% was 235U. C slugs were a uranium-aluminum 

alloy with about 4% uranium by weight, of which about 93% was 235U (Devlin, Palmer, and Upson 

1958, pp. 4, 9; Burley 1956, p. 722). These slugs were manufactured at ORNL, canned at Hanford, 

irradiated in several Hanford single-pass reactors, and shipped to the Idaho Chemical Processing 

Plant at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL; then called the National Reactor Testing Station) for 

dissolution of the slugs and recovery of the uranium (Burley 1956, pp. 722–725, Figure VII-22). 

Canning of C slugs stopped in December 1953 (GE 1954), but a considerable number of C slugs 

were still in reactors in 1957 and were scheduled for discharge through 1958 (Priode 1957). Priode 

(1957) also indicates that the slugs would be cooled in the fuel storage basin for about 4 months 

before shipping, which would put the expected date for removal from the basins as late in 1958.

For the C and J slug program, exposure to HEU would have occurred to workers in the 300 Area 

canning facility in 313 Building (Gerber 1992, p. 9). It is reasonable to expect that testing of canned 

slugs would have occurred in the 314 Building before shipment to the reactors, as was done for other 

slugs [33]. Burley (1956, p. 1006) states that samples of new slugs that were received on the 313 

Building dock were sent to the 305 Building for testing.

Outside of the C and J slug program, there was no major work with HEU, but there were quite a 

number of small or short-term usages.

The August 1958 Radiation Monitoring Operations report mentions work with 8% enriched uranium in 

the 325 Building (Stevens 1958, p. 9).

The February 1961 Radiation Monitoring Operations report briefly discusses an experiment in the 

326 Building with “93% 235U per gram” of UO2F2 solution (Stevens 1961d, p. 14). This appears to be a 

single experiment that was not carried over to other periods. The work was carried out in an 

exhausted greenhouse, and leaks of the solution did occur during the work.

Under a Metallic Fuel Development Program, two small zirconium-clad extrusions with thorium and a 

small 93%-enriched uranium core (2.5 wt% of the core) were produced in January 1963 and 

examined metallurgically in February (GE 1963a, p. A-48). The buildings where the manufacturing 

and examining took place were not mentioned. Follow-up work with thorium-uranium cores used 

normal uranium (GE 1963b, p. 56).

Extrusion of a 50-lb thorium ingot with 1.5 wt% of 93%-enriched uranium was performed in June 1963 

(GE 1963c, p. A-9). The building was not given, but extrusions like this were generally done in the 

314, 306, or 333 Building and the documentation seems to be associated with work on N Reactor fuel, 

which was done in the 333 Building.

Extrusion of a small (~1–in.-diameter) rod with a thorium annulus that contained 1.5 wt% “fully 

enriched” 235U was conducted in July 1963 (GE 1963d, p. A-6).

A fuel capsule that contained 50%-enriched uranium was fabricated in August 1963 for experimental 

tests in the INL Engineering Test Reactor (GE 1963e, p. A-24).
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A tungsten-uranium cermet (ceramic-metal alloy) fuel plate using 93%-enriched uranium was 

irradiated and examined in September and October 1963 (GE 1963f, p. A-25; 1963g, p. A-31). The 

September 1963 radiation monitoring report mentions a slight spread of contamination in the Ceramic 

Fuels section of the 325 Building basement that involved 235U oxide (Stevens 1963b, p. 9), probably 

associated with the cermet work.

A small amount of 235U was irradiated in DR Reactor in October (GE 1963g, p. C-23).

Work on a long-life, constant heat source for a crud probe was started in February 1964. This 

involved creating a thorium-uranium-zirconium alloy with 1.5 wt% fully enriched uranium. The building 

where this work was done was not mentioned (GE 1964a, p. A-4).

Experiments in the PRCF (309 Building), which began operation in 1962, sometimes involved test 

fuels with HEU. For instance, the Hanford Laboratories report for May 1964 mentions planning for an 

experiment with a “plastic-moderated U-235 lattice” using uranium-aluminum disks with 93.5% 

enrichment (GE 1964b, p. B-12). The July 1964 report discusses irradiation of a UO2-niobium cermet 

in which the uranium was 85% enriched (GE 1964c, p. A-20). The Hanford Laboratories report for 

August 1964 mentions creation of an experimental UO2-PuO2 fuel in which the uranium was 93% 

enriched. The work involved milling and compacting of 1 kg of the material (GE 1964d, p. A-21). The 

building where this work took place was not mentioned, but the 308 Building is likely because its 

mission was to support R&D on fuels for the 309 Building reactors. Examination of the test fuels 

might have occurred in the 309 Building Hot Fuel Examination Facility (Gerber 1992, p. 191).

A series of experiments were conducted in the Physics Constants Testing Reactor (305-B Building) 

on polyethylene moderation using 235U-Al fuel in about late 1964. The amount of 235U in these 

experiments was not mentioned (GE 1964e, p. B-16). The report does not state where the fuel was 

made. The nature of the work would have been consistent with the missions of either the 306 or 333 

Building (Gerber 1992, pp. 15, 19, 20).

Blending of various oxides for experimental work for a non-Hanford client was conducted in or about 

September 1965. A total of 850 g of PuO2-UO2 powders were crushed, screened, and blended. 

Some of the uranium in this work was nominally 93% enriched and some was nominally 40% 

enriched. The building where the work was performed was not given (PNL 1965b, p. H-5).

Also in 1968, there was experimental work with HEU fuel in the Physics Constants Testing Reactor 

(305-B) from June through September (Albaugh 1968a, pp. 7, 17–18; 1968b, pp. 6–7, 20–22; 1968c, 

pp. 19–20.]). The reports do not state where the fuel was made, but the May report does mention 

machining by the Battelle Engineering Services Department (Albaugh 1968d, pp. 9, 23).

A radiation work permit was issued for work in the 306 Building for 37%-enriched uranium (PNL 1970; 

Jech 1970) that was scheduled to last several years.

There is indication that some work with 235U was performed in the 231-Z Building sometime during its 

history, but details have not been found (Powers 1969; Lini 2008, p. 23).

2.3.6

Uranium-233 was the intended product of the program to manufacture and irradiate thorium target 

elements.

Uranium-233
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2.3.6.1 Early Irradiation of Thorium, Probably No Dissolution at Hanford

Thorium rods were used in the reactors starting in 1946 for various purposes (Wende 1946a,b). As of 

September 1947, an estimated 500 mg of 233U had been created at Hanford and had been separated 

in laboratory-scale operations (Author unknown ca. 1947, p. 1). The location of the separation was 

not given, although no evidence has been found that the separation was conducted at Hanford. 

Thorium continued to be used in the reactors, such that by the end of 1953 thorium elements were in 

use in all Hanford reactors as flux-flattening poisons that replaced lithium-aluminum and bismuth 

(Sturges 1951; DeNeal 1970). Extraction of the 233U took place at another site (probably ORNL) 

(Sturges 1951; Gydesen 1954, pp.11, 17). The Briggs history stated that thorium was being irradiated 

for production of 233U in August 1954 (Briggs 2001, p. 21). It is unlikely that any exposure to 233U 

occurred to Hanford employees from these activities.

There is evidence of work with 233U at 231-Z circa 1957 or 1958 that involved fabrication of fuel rods 

for the INL Materials Test Reactor (Baumgartner ca. 1957; Powers 1969, p. 21; Lini 2008, p. 23.)

2.3.6.2 Major Production of 233U 

Hanford conducted major-scale, full-cycle 233U generation and extraction from thorium in two 

campaigns at PUREX in May through July 1966 (producing 220 kg 233U) and August through 

December 1970 (producing 320 kg 233U), with a smaller scale experimental run in January 1965 

(Isochem 1967a, p. II-1; Jackson and Walser 1977, pp. 7, 8). The 233U product was loaded into 

approximate 3-L bottles in N Cell in PUREX, transported to 221-U for temporary storage, and shipped 

off the site (principally but not exclusively to ORNL). Some rebottling of product occurred in a 

specially constructed metal enclosure at the northeast end of the pipe gallery; this was ventilated with 

a blower-filter arrangement (Isochem 1967a, p. III-54; Jackson and Walser 1977, pp. 52–54; ARHCO 

1971).

Some or all product from the 1965 experiment was sent to the Plutonium Chemistry Laboratory in 

Z Plant (Fullam 1965, pp. 3–4; Hopkins 1965, p. 68). The purpose was:

1. Experimental evaluation of the various steps of the proposed Z Plant flow sheet for 

converting U233 nitrate solution to metal.

2. Purification of 1 kilogram of U233 produced in the first thorium run at the PUREX 

Plant.

According to Fullam (1965), approximately 1,250 g of 233U were purified and converted to oxide. It is 

likely that the experiment was conducted between February 1965 (the end of the first thoria/233U 

campaign in PUREX) and September 1965 (the date of Fullam’s article). A letter from J. T. Christy to 

A. T. Gifford in April 1965 provided a long list of customers for the 233U shipments and indicated that 

102 g of oxide had already been shipped; however, there was trouble getting sufficient 233U to fulfill 

requests in the next term (Christy 1965). Hopkins (1965), which is a history of work conducted at the 

Plutonium Chemistry Laboratory, did not mention any other work on 233U other than the Fullam work in 

1965. There is no evidence that the process moved beyond this single evaluation; that is, that Z Plant 

was actually used to convert 233U nitrate to oxide for the other PUREX campaigns. For instance, the 

200 Area report for August 1966 said that the 233U from the 1966 campaign was being shipped to 

ORNL (Christy 1966b, p. 3). In addition, a January 1966 report mentioned the earlier work and 

implied that flowsheet development was still an “objective,” but only minor work was being done at 

that time because neptunium work was a higher priority (Curtis 1966, pp. 1–2).
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2.3.6.3 Research and Development

Walling (1964a, p. 4) reported on chemistry development work on 233U in February 1964. This work 

involved millicurie activities. PNNL Chemistry Department monthly reports in 1965 indicated studies 

on 233U separation techniques were occurring (probably at the 325 Building). The work consisted of 

tracer-level flowsheet development studies (Walling 1965a, p. 7-C; 1965b, p. C-5; 1965c p. C-3; PNL 

1965c, p. A-30). Similarly, the activities reports for April, May, June, and July 1966 indicated that 

work on a flowsheet for removing thoria from the 233U stream had been experimentally validated and 

other studies were occurring (PNL 1966a, p. 42; 1966b, pp. 50, 51; 1966c, p. 47; 1966d, pp. 37, 40, 

41). The June report indicated that these were tracer-level studies: “... simulated feeds spiked with 

appropriate tracers for analytical purposes were used” (PNL 1966c, p. 47). These studies do not 

appear to continue into the second half of 1966 or in subsequent years [34]. An exception to the 

tracer-level work was a criticality mass experiment in July 1966 that involved subcritical neutron 

multiplication experiments with bottles that contained approximately 960 g of 233U each (9.3 Ci) (PNL 

1966d, pp. 40, 41). During the experiments the bottles were undoubtedly sealed, but information has 

not been found about where the bottles were filled. If the material came from the May to July 1966 

PUREX campaign, the bottles would have been filled either in PUREX N Cell or at U Plant before the 

product was sent to ORNL. It is also possible the bottles came directly from ORNL (that is, they could 

have been independent of the recent PUREX campaign).

The June 1967 PNNL report discussed a criticality experiment with bottles of uranyl nitrate that 

contained both 235U and 233U. However, it does not appear from the brief description that the bottles 

were opened or any chemical analysis was done (PNL 1967d, p. 71).

2.3.7

Polonium-210 (also called “chemical 14-92” or “postum”) was generated by the activation of bismuth 

metal (sometimes called “chemical 37-77,” “soda pulp,” or “B Metal”) in the Hanford reactors.

Polonium-210

2.3.7.1 Production Chronology

Hanford started irradiating bismuth to produce polonium in 1945.

Bismuth rod suitable for canning will be delivered by the Government to Hanford where 

the material will be placed in cans suitable for exposure in the pile.... After completion 

of irradiation, du Pont will place the irradiated pieces in containers furnished by du Pont 

and turn the packages over to the Area Engineer for shipment.

The material was to be sent to Monsanto in Dayton, Ohio (Tilley 1945).

To get advance information six bismuth slugs were inserted in a P-column in the B-pile 

during the shutdown of February 22, which will be removed on March 7. We will keep 

three of these to follow their decay, so as to be sure that the shielding provided on the 

shipping containers is adequate. Two of the remaining three slugs will have their 

jackets stripped off, using the stripper for unbonded cans in the 300 Area. They will 

then be shipped with the remaining jacketed slug in one of our regular bismuth 

containers, W-76138, to Lum [Ed: at Monsanto] who will assay them for their polonium 

content and use the regular jacketed one in his program of learning how to deal with 

jackets when the regular shipments come in. Lum expressed a preference for 

unjacketed slugs but has agreed to accept jacketed ones for the main shipment. The 
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results of the assay should be available three days after arrival of the metal in Dayton 

(Worthington 1945a; also discussed in HEW 1945a, p. 32).

Equipment was assembled for stripping the aluminum cans from some of these slugs before shipping 

for an assay of the polonium content (HEW 1945b, p. 31; HEW 1947, p. 3; Worthington 1945b, p. 9). 

This work was also mentioned in the Health Instruments report for March 1945, “The survey program 

... covered the handling of special bismuth slugs. Uncanned slugs were a potent beta source ... in 

addition to the hazard of polonium contamination in the air. The canned slugs presented no handling 

problems” (Parker 1945, p. 16). This is the only example of jacket removal and manipulation of 

Hanford bismuth slugs that has been discovered; all others seem to have been shipped in intact 

condition [35]. The opened slugs were subsequently shipped to Monsanto as well, “in order to protect 

from the alpha active vapors which are known to be discharged from uncovered activated bismuth 

metal, the shipping container was hermetically sealed...” (Grane 1945, p. 3; Wheeler 1945; HEW 

1945c, pp. 26–27).

After these initial measurements, shipments of irradiated bismuth became routine.

On 5 May 1945, the first relatively large-scale shipment of soda pulp was made from 

the 100-B Area substantially in accordance with the program outlined in the conference 

held in Richland on 20 February 1945. The shipment consisted of seventy units of 

soda pulp which had been charged in the 100-B pile on 9 March and discharged on 26 

April. As a result of the neutronic irradiation, a quantity of postum was produced which 

was estimated as equivalent to 210 cases (HEW 1947, p. 8). (“Case” is code for curie 

[36].)

Canning of bismuth metal was done in the 313 Building. Once canned, the bismuth was guarded. 

“No change occurs in the physical description of the material other than irradiation.” It was placed in 

containers after discharge, put in a box weighing about 950 lb, and shipped by military air transport 

from Pasco to Monsanto and Mound Laboratory (George 1947). To minimize material requirements, 

the idea of recycling irradiated bismuth was investigated. It was determined that there would be too 

many problems with contamination in the production and canning of slugs, so recycled bismuth was 

not used (Lee 1949).

Bismuth irradiation for polonium production continued as a routine part of Hanford operations through 

the 1950s and 1960s. Many documents illustrate the ongoing shipment of irradiated bismuth from 

Hanford to Mound (e.g., Priode 1953, 1954a,b, 1958; Gifford 1958). Bismuth was being irradiated in 

B, D, and F Reactors, and it was planned for H Reactor by 1949 (Lee 1949). Discussions for bismuth 

irradiations in N Reactor occurred as early as 1963 (Dieterich 1963). It can be assumed that 

polonium was produced in all Hanford reactors.

2.3.7.2 Separations and Use of Polonium

Demand for 210Po for the Space Nuclear Auxiliary Power generator led to the desire to have a 

complete polonium supply capability at Hanford. Many feasibility studies and proposals were 

conducted (e.g., Fry 1956; Johnson 1963a,b; Richardson, Sheppard, and Guay 1965; Hill 1966; Hasty 

and Sheppard 1965). However, none of the proposals was funded and routine production of 210Po did 

not take place at Hanford. Small-scale studies or special-order production of 210Po did occur.

Some efforts were undertaken in the Hanford Laboratories Biology Department in 1955 to investigate 

the relative radiotoxicity of polonium to yeast cells (GE 1956, pp. 93–102). Survey reports from 

January and May 1955 indicate that work was occurring in a glovebox in the 108-F Building, Rooms 
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105, 106, and 107, and generating small amounts of waste (GE 1955, survey numbers 550132 and 

550887).

A series of experiments of irradiated “B Metal” was undertaken by the Chemical Laboratory in 1963 in 

which canned and uncanned bismuth slugs were heated to 1,300° for 1 to 2 hours. It was found that 

polonium vapors would be released from liquid bismuth metal, and that the bismuth metal would 

damage the aluminum cans and cause leaks (GE 1963a, p. C-3; 1963b, p. C-2; 1963c, p. C-1; 1963h, 

p. C-1; 1963i, p. C-2; 1963j, p. C-2).

A great deal of laboratory work was undertaken in the early to mid-1960s to develop mass production 

methods for polonium separation from bismuth. Numerous approaches were evaluated, beginning 

with an examination of requirements for handling of recycled bismuth in open hoods without 

gloveboxes (GE 1964f, p. C-3; Walling 1964b, p. 4):

• Pyrometallurgical processes that involved molten bismuth with cerium scavenging (GE 1963k, 

p. C-5, ; Walling 1964c, p. 4; Walling 1964d, p. 4; GE 1964g, p. C-3),

• Volatilization of mercury polonide (GE 1964h, p. C-4),

• Molten salt separations (Reas 1964a, p.4; Sheppard 1964; PNL 1965a; Sheppard 1966),

• Volatilization of polonium from nitric acid solutions (Walling 1964e, p. 6; 1964c, p. C-3),

• Solvent extraction of polonium with various solvents (GE 1964a, p. C-5; 1964c, p. C-3; 1964e, 

p. C-3),

• Distillation (GE 1964e, p. C-3),

• Electrochemistry (GE 1965, p. C-2, C-3), and

• Pyrochemical separation in fused NaOH from molten bismuth (Fawcett 1967a, p. 58; Albaugh 

1968a, p. 50-51; 1968b, p. 29, 43-44).

The patent application in HWIR-1793 reports that “polonium volatility from the oxide has been 

examined...” in the 325 Building (Hasty 1964). A lot of this work was done by J. C. Sheppard, who 

had offices in the 325 Building (Sheppard 1964; Sheppard and Warnock 1962). Other key 

investigators were R. H. Moore, G. F. Shieffelbein, and R. A. Hasty. These investigations are 

supported by the interview with L. Bray (Bihl and Napier 2008), who recalled that 210Po was purified in 

the 325 Building under a contract with the 3M Company. The polonium work was all done in 

gloveboxes in the center hall of 325 Building.

During the mid-1960s, complementary studies were being undertaken in the 200 Areas – small-scale 

engineering experiments on solvent extraction in the 200 Area Chemical Research and Development 

organization (Tomlinson 1965, p. 8; Christy 1966c, p. 12). It is assumed that this Chemical Research 

and Development work occurred in the 222-S Building [37].

PNNL did attempt one major program for the investigation and development of polonium 

microspheres in 1968 and 1969. A series of monthly reports by J. E. Hansen (1968a,b,c,d; 

1969a,b,c,d) and Drumheller (1968a,b) describes the installation of a glovebox line to make 210Po 

microspheres, 210Po radiation measurements reported by H. A. Van Tuyl and W. Howell, vacuum 
Document No. ORAUT-TKBS-0006-2 Revision No. 02 Effective Date: 02/22/2010 Page 48 of 92

deposition and fueling studies, and other preparations. However, the program terminated prematurely 

around April 1969. The Laboratory received only about 1 g (Hansen 1969b).

2.3.8

There was interest in extracting both 242Cm and 244Cm from spent fuel waste as heat sources or for 

other uses. Interest in the americium and curium content of irradiated Hanford fuel dates to at least 

1950 (Albaugh 1950), but no evidence was found that anything was done in the 1950s other than 

estimates of how much curium was in the spent fuel.

Curium

2.3.8.1 Research, Development, and Proposals

Interest picked up again in 1963 as evidenced by letters between the AEC Richland Operations Office 

and AEC Headquarters that discuss quantities of 241Am and 242Cm in waste streams from PUREX and 

REDOX (Travis 1963a,b). Travis states that at that time all of the americium and curium in spent fuel 

was going to the waste tanks.

In 1966, AEC Headquarters took the next step by asking for a proposal for major production. 

“Division of Production [AEC] has requested that study proposal be submitted by both the Savannah 

River Plant and Hanford for production of large quantities (up to 70 kg by 1974) of curium-244” 

(McKenzie and Watrous 1966). Hanford proposed a five-step plan to create and irradiate 242Pu to 

produce 243Am, then irradiate 243Am to create 244Cm. The plan involved separation of americium and 

curium at B Plant using the D2EHPA method (which would also contain rare earths, e.g. promethium), 

conversion of the nitrate to oxide at the PFP, and final extraction of 243Am and 244Cm at a new facility 

to be built at Z Plant (236-Z). Fabrication of interim target elements of 242Pu and 243Am was to be 

done by Douglas United Nuclear (presumably at the 300 Area fuel fabrication facilities) (McKenzie 

and Watrous 1966; Beard 1967, p. 97). [Note: The extraction facility at Z Plant was not built and the 

crude extraction was not done at B Plant, but rather at 201-C Hot Semiworks as discussed in the next 

section.]

Flowsheet development also started in 1966. For instance, the July report of the Fission Products 

Processing Engineering Group indicated that flowsheet work was being done at PNNL looking at 

methods to separate curium from americium using the D2EHPA method available at Semiworks 

(Beard 1967, p. 114). The August and September reports (Beard 1967, p. 128; 1967, p. 148) 

discussed upcoming dissolution of the Shippingport fuel at REDOX and possible extraction of the 

244Cm from the resultant solutions. The plans for this work were still in development in December 

(Beard 1967, p. 198). Roberts and Bray (1966) published the flowsheet in December. In that article, 

they stated that they started with simulated waste with tracers (no curium was used in the tracer 

experiments), then progressed to experiments with actual Shippingport waste solutions in hot cells in 

the 325 Building (Roberts and Bray 1966, p. 5). The incoming solution had plenty of gamma-emitting 

FPs, but the final extractions had 241Am, 244Cm, and 242Cm in about 2:3:1 ratios and only small 

activities of FPs. This was still small-scale flowsheet development and testing work (Roberts and 

Bray 1966, pp. 1, 7, 8).

PNNL involvement in R&D was also documented in the series of monthly reports for the Division of 

Production and Hanford Plant Assistance Programs during this period. These reports discussed 

flowsheet development and other assistance to Isochem starting in July 1966 and running through 

September 1967 (Fawcett 1966a, p. 45; 1966b, p. 36; 1967a, pp. 64–65; 1967b, pp. 35–36; 1967c, 

pp. 39–40; 1967d, pp. 50–51; 1967e, p. 47). Most of the development work during this period 

involved tracer levels of americium and curium (Fawcett 1967d, pp. 64–65), but some hot cell work 
Document No. ORAUT-TKBS-0006-2 Revision No. 02 Effective Date: 02/22/2010 Page 49 of 92

was done as well in preparation for using the hot cells for final large-scale extractions (Fawcett 1967f, 

p. 72). All of the work appears to have been done in the 325 Building.

2.3.8.2 Major Production of Curium

Although there were plans to irradiate target elements to create curium, no evidence was found that 

this approach was ever taken. Rather, FP waste from dissolution of Shippingport fuel was used as 

the source for curium. Dissolution of the Shippingport fuel occurred in early 1967. For instance, the 

February 200 Area report stated that an americium-curium solution from REDOX had been loaded 

into a “bowling ball” cast and “shipped to PUREX for storage until Hot Semiworks is ready to process 

the material” (Christy 1967b, p. 4). The Shippingport waste solution was then processed at Hot 

Semiworks and delivered to PNNL on September 18. This material still contained rare earths, 

americium, and curium (Fawcett 1967e, pp. 47–48). Meanwhile, development work was still going on 

to refine the flowsheet to be used on the material that was delivered to the 325 Building hot cells 

(Fawcett 1967e, p. 47). Full-scale, hot-cell processing of the Shippingport rare earth-americiumcurium solution started in December 1967 (Albaugh 1968e, p. 67; 1968f, pp. 69–70). The pure curium 

nitrate product was converted to oxide and placed in storage in April and May 1968 (Albaugh 1968g, 

p. 66; 1968a, p. 67). A total of 41.6 g of curium was prepared for shipment. Shipping began in June 

1968; subsequent monthly reports did not mention when shipping concluded but presumably it was 

within a few months.

Hot Semiworks shut down in 1967 (Ballinger and Hall 1991, pdfp. 62), apparently soon after 

processing of the Shippingport solution. No evidence was found that the plan to use B Plant to extract 

americium and curium either as a crude solution for further processing at the 325 Building or to create 

pure products was ever carried out. A 1974 document indicates that the Shippingport curium 

purification campaign was the only one carried out at that time (Wheelwright et al. 1974).

2.3.8.3 Other Research

PNNL’s Space Nuclear Systems Division reported on laboratory work in March 1969 on phase 

transformations in curium oxide in which a small sample of curium oxide was heated in a vacuum in a 

differential thermal analysis apparatus (Hansen 1969c, p. 4). The building where the work took place 

was not mentioned. One of the authors was interviewed briefly by phone. He said that he and a few 

others worked with milligram quantities for special studies in the 308 Building between about 1969 

and 1973. All the work was done in gloveboxes. Each experiment was of short duration (a month or 

so), but there were multiple experiments. The curium was not from Hanford. Because quantities of 

curium and other higher order transplutonium elements were scarce, who, when, and how much of 

these special isotopes was made available to researchers was controlled by the AEC-wide 

Transplutonium Research Coordinating Committee. That committee arranged for delivery of the 

samples, which were used then shipped to the next researcher on the priority list. The researcher 

said there were no contamination spreads with the curium samples (Bihl 2009b).

2.3.9

Technetium-99 was extracted from PUREX waste in kilogram quantities. The interest in technetium 

was not based on its radiation characteristics because 99Tc has a small specific activity and emits only 

a very soft beta (average energy 0.1013 MeV). Interest centered on the fact that technetium does not 

exist in nature and it was thought that it might have useful chemical and physical properties 

sufficiently unique to make its recovery attractive. In particular, it was evaluated at Hanford 

Laboratories (for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration) for use as an alloying agent to 

impart ductility to tungsten (Moore 1964, pp. 15–16).

Technetium
Document No. ORAUT-TKBS-0006-2 Revision No. 02 Effective Date: 02/22/2010 Page 50 of 92

The earliest evidence of 99Tc extraction from Hanford waste was an invention report by F. P. Roberts 

and F. M. Smith (1960). The stated first date of entry into a record was June 20, 1960. The report 

indicated that 100 mL of 3.5-yr-cooled, neutralized PUREX waste supernate was used as feed. The 

work was done in the 325 Building. Although about 0.2 mg of technetium was isolated, it was still 

heavily contaminated with 106Ru (0.5% wt% or about 3 mCi of ruthenium versus 3 μCi of technetium) 

(Roberts and Smith 1960, p. 3).

Work continued at an R&D level in 1961, but the early work did not produce pure 99Tc. For instance, 

the August 1961 report of the Radiation Monitoring Operation stated that the pilot recovery program 

for 99Tc had begun in the 325 Building (Stevens 1961e, p. 7). The report stated that handling of 

quantities of pure technetium would not be encountered, however, thereby decreasing the radiation 

monitoring difficulties that are normally expected with low-energy beta emitters. The reason the 

technetium was not pure was not given, but from a radiation monitoring perspective the product 

apparently had enough gamma-emitting contaminants to allow normal monitoring methods for 

contamination control. The December 1961 report of the Chemical Research and Development 

Operation (Reas 1962, p. C-5) stated that the technetium recovered by anion exchange from the 

PUREX alkaline waste supernate required additional decontamination before it could be handled 

without shielding. The report also stated that further flowsheet development had been done and a 

large-scale run was in progress in A Cell of the 325 Building.

Work continued at both an R&D level and a full-scale level from 1962 through 1964. The November 

1963 report of the Hanford Laboratories reported that successful absorption of about 1 kg of 99Tc from 

PUREX alkaline supernate on an anion exchange bed had been accomplished at the Hot Semiworks 

(201-C) in October, and in November the material had been evaporated to a volume of 100 L and 

shipped to Chemical Research for final processing (GE 1963k, p. C-10 pdf p. 143). Complications 

included high concentrations of 95Zr/Nb and 144Ce. By March 1964, methods to remove the FP 

contaminants had been worked out in laboratory studies and work had started in the 325 Building to 

purify the shipment from Hot Semiworks. By May 1964, the purification of the technetium had been 

completed in the 325 Building (GE 1964f, p. C-6pdf p. 130). It consisted of 1,540 g of ammonium 

pertechnetate with a radiochemical purity of greater than 99.99% with metallic impurities of less than 

50 ppm based on spectrographic analysis (Reas 1964b, p. 1pdf p. 5). By July this material had been 

converted to metal and 800 g had been transferred to the Metallurgy Development Operation 

(presumably 327 Building) for tungsten alloying studies, including arc melting (Reas 1964c, p. 1). 

(There was no mention of where the remaining 200 g of the 1-kg quantity was sent). The product was 

extremely clean from FPs with only one count of ruthenium present per 104 counts of technetium 

(Moore 1964, p. 16).

A second 1-kg campaign started at Hot Semiworks in September 1964 (GE 1964b, p. C-6pdf p. 120). 

However, the second campaign was mentioned only peripherally in subsequent monthly reports, so 

when or if this material was purified and turned into metal is not well-established (GE 1964i, p. C-5pdf 

p. 127). Research on technetium pertechnetate continued through December 1964 (GE 1965, p. C4pdp p. 127).

Fifty grams (~850 mCi) of 99Tc were shipped to Brigham Young University on June 5, 1967. This 

represents the first offsite shipment of gram quantities of technetium from Hanford (Isochem 1967b, 

p. A-2). That this shipment was mentioned in the Isochem monthly report along with shipments of 

neptunium, plutonium, and crude-separated strontium and promethium implies that the technetium 

was being stored at a 200 Area facility, although which facility was not mentioned.

Another 45-g shipment was noted in the January and February 1970 reports of the ARHCO 

Separations Chemistry Laboratory. This material was evidently in solution because it was expressed 
Document No. ORAUT-TKBS-0006-2 Revision No. 02 Effective Date: 02/22/2010 Page 51 of 92

as 1.7 g/L and was loaded on a resin. The origin of the material was not stated other than it came 

from “low-level feed material,” mixed with material from “a previous run,” and “three gallons from raw 

feed from a barrel with higher concentrations.” The resin was loaded at REDOX (ARHCO 1971, 

pp. 29, 95).

2.4 ATTRIBUTIONS AND ANNOTATIONS

Where appropriate in this document, bracketed callouts have been inserted to indicate information, 

conclusions, and recommendations provided to assist in the process of worker dose reconstruction. 

These callouts are listed here in the Attributions and Annotations section, with information to identify 

the source and justification for each associated item. Conventional References, which are provided in 

the next section of this document, link data, quotations, and other information to documents available 

for review on the Project’s Site Research Database (SRDB).

Donald Bihl served as the initial Subject Expert for this document. Mr. Bihl was previously employed 

at Hanford and his work involved management, direction or implementation of radiation protection 

and/or health physics program policies, procedures or practices related to atomic weapons activities 

at the site. This revision (and earlier revisions) have been overseen by a Document Owner who is

fully responsible for the content, including all findings and conclusions. Mr. Bihl continues to serve as 

a Site Expert for this document because he possesses or is aware of information relevant for 

reconstructing radiation doses experienced by claimants who worked at the site. In all cases where 

such information or prior studies or writings are included or relied upon by Mr. Bihl, those materials 

are fully attributed to the source. Mr. Bihl’s Disclosure Statement is available at www.oraucoc.org.

John (Jack) Selby served as the initial Subject Expert for this document. Mr. Selby was previously 

employed at Hanford and his work involved management, direction, or implementation of radiation 

protection and/or health physics program policies, procedures, or practices related to atomic weapons 

activities at the site. This revision has been overseen by a Document Owner, who is fully responsible 

for the content of this document, including all findings and conclusions. In all cases where such 

information or prior studies or writings are included or relied on by the Document Owner, those 

materials are fully attributed to the source.

Fred Duncan assumed responsibility as Document Owner for this document in September, 2008. Mr. 

Duncan replaced Edward Scalsky when Mr. Scalsky’s employer declared a new corporate conflict of 

interest for the Hanford Site. Mr. Scalsky continues to participate on this document team in the 

appropriate role of Subject Expert in compliance with the NIOSH Conflict or Bias policy.

[1] Selby, Jack M. M. H. Chew & Associates. Senior Health Physicist. September 2006.

The information and data are a summation based on material in Ballinger and Hall (1991), 

Carlisle and Zenzen (1996), Marceau et al. (2002, Chapter 2, Section 3), Gerber (1992), 

1996), and Author unknown (undated).

[2] Selby, Jack M. M. H. Chew & Associates. Senior Health Physicist. September 2006.

The information and data are a summation based on material in Ballinger and Hall (1991), 

Marceau et al. (2002, Chapter 2, Sections 2 and 3), and Gerber (1996).

[3] Selby, Jack M. M. H. Chew & Associates. Senior Health Physicist. September 2006.

The information and data are a summation based on material in Ballinger and Hall (1991), 

Carlisle (1996), DOE (undated), Marceau et al. (2002, Chapter 2, Sections 3 and 7), Gerber 

(1993b), and Author unknown (undated).
Document No. ORAUT-TKBS-0006-2 Revision No. 02 Effective Date: 02/22/2010 Page 52 of 92

[4] Selby, Jack M. M. H. Chew & Associates. Senior Health Physicist. September 2006.

The information and data are a summation based on material in Ballinger and Hall (1991), 

Marceau et al. (2002, Chapter 2, Section 4), Gerber (1993a,b,c, 1994, 1996), and Author 

unknown (undated).

[5] Selby, Jack M. M. H. Chew & Associates. Senior Health Physicist. September 2006.

This information is a summation based on material in Ballinger and Hall (1991), Marceau et al. 

(2002, Chapter 2, Sections 4 and 6), and Gerber (ca. 1994).

[6] Selby, Jack M. M. H. Chew & Associates. Senior Health Physicist. September 2006.

The information and data are a summation based on material in Marceau et al. (2002, Chapter 

1 and Chapter 2, Sections 4 and 6), Ballinger and Hall (1991), and Gerber (ca. 1994).

[7] Selby, Jack M. M. H. Chew & Associates. Senior Health Physicist. September 2006.

The information and data are a summation based on material in Ballinger and Hall (1991) and

Marceau et al. (2002, Chapter 2, Sections 2 and 3).

[8] Selby, Jack M. M. H. Chew & Associates. Senior Health Physicist. September 2006.

The information and data are a summation based on material in Ballinger and Hall (1991), 

Fisher (1986), DOE (undated), Marceau et al. (2002, Chapter 1 and Chapter 2, Section 2), 

Gerber (1992, 1993b,c), and Author unknown (undated).

[9] Selby, Jack M. M. H. Chew & Associates. Senior Health Physicist. September 2006.

The information and data are a summation based on material in Ballinger and Hall (1991), 

DOE (1994), Marceau et al. (2002, Chapter 1 and Chapter 2, Sections 2 and 5), Selby and 

Soldat (1958), and Gerber (1993b).

[10] Selby, Jack M. M. H. Chew & Associates. Senior Health Physicist. September 2006.

Table 2-1 is adapted based on Table 2-5.2 in Marceau et al. (2002, Chapter 2, Section 5).

[11] Selby, Jack M. M. H. Chew & Associates. Senior Health Physicist. September 2006.

The information and data are a summation based on material in Ballinger and Hall (1991), 

DOE (1994), DOE (undated), Marceau et al. (2002, Chapter 1 and Chapter 2, Section 7), 

Gerber (1992, 1993b,c, 1996), and Author unknown (undated).

[12] Selby, Jack M. M. H. Chew & Associates. Senior Health Physicist. September 2006.

The information and data are a summation based on material in Ballinger and Hall (1991), 

Marceau et al. (2002, Chapter 2, Sections 7 and 10), and Gerber (1993b,c).

[13] Selby, Jack M. M. H. Chew & Associates. Senior Health Physicist. September 2006.

The information and data are a summation based on material in Ballinger and Hall (1991), 

Marceau et al. (2002, Chapter 2, Section 7), Selby and Soldat (1958), and Kruesi (1951).

[14] Selby, Jack M. M. H. Chew & Associates. Senior Health Physicist. September 2006.

The information and data are a summation based on material in Ballinger and Hall (1991), 

DOE (1994, undated), Marceau et al. (2002, Chapter 2, Section 7), and Author unknown 

(undated).

[15] Selby, Jack M. M. H. Chew & Associates. Senior Health Physicist. September 2006.

The information and data are a summation based on material in Ballinger and Hall (1991), 

Marceau et al. (2002, Chapter 2, Section 4), and Gerber (1993b).
Document No. ORAUT-TKBS-0006-2 Revision No. 02 Effective Date: 02/22/2010 Page 53 of 92

[16] Selby, Jack M. M. H. Chew & Associates. Senior Health Physicist. September 2006.

The information and data are a summation based on material in Ballinger and Hall (1991), 

Marceau et al. (2002, Chapter 2, Section 4), and Gerber (1993b).

[17] Selby, Jack M. M. H. Chew & Associates. Senior Health Physicist. September 2006.

The information and data are a summation based on material in Ballinger and Hall (1991), 

Marceau et al. (2002, Chapter 2, Section 4), and Gerber (1993b).

[18] Selby, Jack M. M. H. Chew & Associates. Senior Health Physicist. September 2006.

The information and data are a summation based on material in Ballinger and Hall (1991), 

DOE (undated), Marceau et al. (2002, Chapter 2, Sections 7 and 10), Newman (1989), Gerber 

(1992), Author unknown (undated), personal experience, and discussions with site personnel.

[19] Selby, Jack M. M. H. Chew & Associates. Senior Health Physicist. September 2006.

The information and data are a summation based on material in Ballinger and Hall (1991), 

DOE (undated), Marceau et al. (2002, Chapter 2, Sections 7 and 10), Gerber (1992, 1993b,c, 

1996), Author unknown (undated), personal experience, and discussions with site personnel.

[20] Selby, Jack M. M. H. Chew & Associates. Senior Health Physicist. September 2006.

The information and data are a summation based on material in Ballinger and Hall (1991), 

Boomer et al. (1994), and Marceau et al. (2002, Chapter 2).

[21] Selby, Jack M. M. H. Chew & Associates. Senior Health Physicist. September 2006.

The information and data are a summation based on material in Ballinger and Hall (1991) and 

Marceau et al. (2002, Chapter 2, Section 4).

[22] Selby, Jack M. M. H. Chew & Associates. Senior Health Physicist. September 2006.

The information and data are a summation based on material in Ballinger and Hall (1991), 

Marceau et al. (2002, Chapter 2, Sections 4 and 6), Gerber (1993b,c, 1996).

[23] Napier, Bruce. Battelle Memorial Institute. Principal Health Physicist. January 2008.

Review of monthly reports for the period did not discuss disposition of the irradiated material.

[24] Bihl, Donald E. Battelle Memorial Institute. Principal Health Physicist, September 2009.

Gerber quoted only total alpha or total beta contamination readings, not thorium contamination 

specifically, which probably was not obtained. Thorium as a source of contamination was 

small in comparison to uranium in the 313 and 314 Buildings and the same is likely for 

contamination spread to the change houses.

[25] Bihl, Donald. Battelle Memorial Institute. Principal Health Physicist. January 2008.

Mr. Bihl talked with a 200-West Area radiation engineer who went into the 241-WR Vault once, 

and with a supervisor of 200-West Area Radiation Monitoring for many years. The radiation 

engineer said the vault was empty when he went there, but he had to wear a mask because of 

potential residual contamination. The supervisor did not remember much other than that the 

building was contaminated. The building was not occupied or entered on a regular basis. 

Neither knew when the thorium was removed, other than “a long time ago.”

[26] Napier, Bruce. Battelle Memorial Institute. Principal Health Physicist. January 2008.

This is based on a comparison of the product of dose conversion factors with inventory.
Document No. ORAUT-TKBS-0006-2 Revision No. 02 Effective Date: 02/22/2010 Page 54 of 92

[27] Joseph A. Teal. Formerly Fluor Hanford Company. Plutonium Finishing Plant operations shift 

supervisor (retired). 2008.

This paragraph was provided by Mr. Teal on his review of the draft white paper on americium, 

based on his long years of experience working at the PFP.

[28] Bihl, Donald E. Battelle Memorial Institute. Principal Health Physicist. September 2008

These are the result of spreadsheet calculations by Mr. Bihl that were reviewed by Mr. Napier.

[29] Bihl, Donald E. Battelle Memorial Institute. Principal Health Physicist. September 2008

These are the result of spreadsheet calculations by Mr. Bihl that were reviewed by Mr. Napier.

[30] Bihl, Donald E. Battelle Memorial Institute. Principal Health Physicist. September 2008

These are the result of spreadsheet calculations by Mr. Bihl that were reviewed by Mr. Napier.

[31] Bihl, Donald E. Battelle Memorial Institute. Principal Health Physicist. September 2008

These are the result of spreadsheet calculations by Mr. Bihl that were reviewed by Mr. Napier.

[32] Bihl, Donald E. Battelle Memorial Institute. Principal Health Physicist. September 2008

These are the result of spreadsheet calculations by Mr. Bihl that were reviewed by Mr. Napier.

[33] Bihl, Donald. Battelle Memorial Institute. Principal Health Physicist. January 2008.

Gerber (1992) indicates that testing of slugs was performed in the 314 Building, although the 

C and J slugs are not mentioned specifically.

[34] Bihl, Donald. Battelle Memorial Institute. Principal Health Physicist. April 2009.

Nearly all the PNNL monthly reports from 1965 through 1971 were found, and no further 

mention of 233U studies was found except for the criticality experiment mentioned in the next 

paragraph of the main text.

[35] Bruce Napier. Battelle Memorial Institute. Principal Health Physicist. April 2009.

This is the result of the document reviews.

[36] Bruce Napier. Battelle Memorial Institute. Principal Health Physicist. April 2009

This is based on equivalent terminology found in several contemporaneous documents.

[37] Bruce Napier. Battelle Memorial Institute. Principal Health Physicist. April 2009

This assumption is based on lack of appropriate facilities that are not specifically mentioned in 

the references.

[38] Selby, Jack M. M. H. Chew & Associates. Senior Health Physicist. September 2006.

The information and data are a summation based on material in Ballinger and Hall (1991), 

Marceau et al. (2002, Chapter 2, Section 3), Wilson (1987), and Wilson et al. (1990).

[39] Selby, Jack M. M. H. Chew & Associates. Senior Health Physicist. September 2006.

The information and data are a summation based on discussions in Ballinger and Hall (1991), 

PNNL (2003), Marceau et al. (2002, Chapter 2, Section 3), Sula, Carbaugh, and Bihl (1989, 

1991), Wilson (1987), and Wilson et al. (1990).
Document No. ORAUT-TKBS-0006-2 Revision No. 02 Effective Date: 02/22/2010 Page 55 of 92

[40] Selby, Jack M. M. H. Chew & Associates. Senior Health Physicist. September 2006.

The information and data are a summation based on material in Ballinger and Hall (1991), 

Bihl, Buschbom, and Sula (1993), PNNL (2003), Lyon et al. (1989), Marceau et al. (2002, 

Chapter 2, Section 3), Wilson (1987), Wilson et al. (1990), and Gerber (1993a).

[41] Selby, Jack M. M. H. Chew & Associates. Senior Health Physicist. September 2006.

The information and data are a summation based on material in Ballinger and Hall (1991), 

Marceau et al. (2002, Chapter 2, Sections 3 and 7), Gerber (1993b), and Author unknown 

(undated).

[42] Selby, Jack M. M. H. Chew & Associates. Senior Health Physicist. September 2006.

The information and data are a summation based on material in Ballinger and Hall (1991), 

Bihl, Buschbom, and Sula (1993), PNNL (2003), Lyon et al. (1989), Marceau et al. (2002, 

Chapter 2, Section 3), Wilson (1987), Wilson et al. (1990), and Gerber (1993a).

[43] Selby, Jack M. M. H. Chew & Associates. Senior Health Physicist. September 2006.

The information and data are a summation based on material in Ballinger and Hall (1991), 

Marceau et al. (2002, Chapter 2, Section 4), Gerber (1993a,b,c, 1996), and Author unknown 

(undated).

[44] Selby, Jack M. M. H. Chew & Associates. Senior Health Physicist. September 2006.

The information and data are a summation based on material in Ballinger and Hall (1991), 

PNNL (2003), Cooke and Holt (1974), Fisher (1986), Marceau et al. (2002, Chapter 2, Section 

2), Rich et al. (1988), Sula, Carbaugh, and Bihl (1989, 1991), Wilson (1987), Wilson et al. 

(1990), and ORAUT (2010a,c).

[45] Selby, Jack M. M. H. Chew & Associates. Senior Health Physicist. September 2006.

The information and data are a summation based on material in Ballinger and Hall (1991), 

DOE (undated), Marceau et al. (2002, Chapter 2, Section 2), Gerber (1992, 1993b,c, 1996), 

and Author unknown (undated).

[46] Selby, Jack M. M. H. Chew & Associates. Senior Health Physicist. September 2006.

The information and data are a summation based on material in PNNL (2003), DOE (undated), 

Gerber (1992), ORAUT (2010a,b), and discussions with site personnel.

[47] Selby, Jack M. M. H. Chew & Associates. Senior Health Physicist. September 2006.

The information and data are a summation based on material in Wilson (1987), Wilson et al. 

(1990), ORAUT (2010c), and discussions with site personnel.

[48] Selby, Jack M. M. H. Chew & Associates. Senior Health Physicist. September 2006.

The information and data are a summation based on material in Sula, Carbaugh, and Bihl 

(1989, 1991), ORAUT (2010b), and discussions with site personnel.

[49] Selby, Jack M. M. H. Chew & Associates. Senior Health Physicist. September 2006.

The information and data are a summation based on material in Ballinger and Hall (1991), 

Marceau et al. (2002, Chapter 2, Sections 5 and 10), Wilson (1987), Wilson et al. (1990), and 

discussions with site personnel.
Document No. ORAUT-TKBS-0006-2 Revision No. 02 Effective Date: 02/22/2010 Page 56 of 92

[50] Selby, Jack M. M. H. Chew & Associates. Senior Health Physicist. September 2006.

The information and data are a summation based on material in Ballinger and Hall (1991), 

Marceau et al. (2002, Chapter 2, Section 5), Gerber (1993b,c, 1996), and Author unknown 

(undated).

[51] Selby, Jack M. M. H. Chew & Associates. Senior Health Physicist. September 2006.

The information and data are a summation based on material in PNNL (2003), Marceau et al. 

(2002, Chapter 2, Section 4), and ORAUT (2010a).

[52] Selby, Jack M. M. H. Chew & Associates. Senior Health Physicist. September 2006.

The information and data are a summation based on material in Ballinger and Hall (1991), 

Marceau et al. (2002, Chapter 2, Sections 4, 7 and 10), Selby and Soldat (1958), Gerber 

(1993b,c, 1996), Author unknown (undated), and Kruesi (1951).

[53] Selby, Jack M. M. H. Chew & Associates. Senior Health Physicist. September 2006.

The information and data are a summation based on material in Ballinger and Hall (1991), 

DOE (1994, undated), Marceau et al. (2002, Chapter 2, Sections 7 and 10), and Gerber (1992, 

1993b,c, 1996).

[54] Selby, Jack M. M. H. Chew & Associates. Senior Health Physicist. September 2006.

The information and data are a summation based on material in PNNL (2003), Marceau et al. 

(2002, Chapter 2, Sections 4, 7 and 10), ORAUT (2010b,c), and discussions with site 

personnel.

[55] Selby, Jack M. M. H. Chew & Associates. Senior Health Physicist. September 2006.

The information and data are a summation based on material in Ballinger and Hall (1991), 

Boomer et al. (1994), Marceau et al. (2002, Chapter 2, Sections 4, 5 and 6), Gerber (1993b,c, 

1996), and DOE (undated).

[56] Selby, Jack M. M. H. Chew & Associates. Senior Health Physicist. September 2006.

The information and data are a summation based on material in PNNL (2003), Marceau et al. 

(2002, Chapter 2, Section 6), Wilson (1987), ORAUT (2010b), and discussions with site 

personnel.

[57] Selby, Jack M. M. H. Chew & Associates. Senior Health Physicist. September 2006.

The information and data are an adaptation based on material in Boomer et al. (1994).
Document No. ORAUT-TKBS-0006-2 Revision No. 02 Effective Date: 02/22/2010 Page 57 of 92

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GLOSSARY

10-66

An AEC pseudonym for thorium.

14-92

An AEC pseudonym for polonium.

37-77

An AEC pseudonym for bismuth.

B metal

Bismuth metal.

birch

An AEC pseudonym for neptunium.

brandy

An AEC pseudonym for neptunium.

brandywine

An AEC pseudonym for neptunium nitrate.

burnup

Depletion of fissionable material in nuclear fuel.

case

A code name for the unit curie used in the 1940s. 

cermet

Ceramic metal alloy.

chemical 14-92

An AEC pseudonym for polonium.

chemical 37-77

An AEC pseudonym for bismuth.

cold

Not containing radioactive material.

E metal

Uranium enriched to 1.75% 235U. Also called E-1 metal, Eisenhower metal, and Ike metal. 

flowsheet

A procedure for chemical analysis or separation process.

heart cut

Material obtained from the temporal center of a chromatographic column; i.e., eliminating the 

first and last material to separated in the column.
Document No. ORAUT-TKBS-0006-2 Revision No. 02 Effective Date: 02/22/2010 Page 81 of 92

mint

A Hanford pseudonym for tritium.

myrnalloy

Another name for thorium.

olive

An AEC pseudonym for 238Pu. 

palm

An AEC pseudonym for neptunium.

P-10

An AEC pseudonym for tritium.

Palmolive

An AEC pseudonym for the process to irradiate 237Np to produce 238Pu.

pile

Early term for a reactor. This term comes from the pile of graphite blocks forming the 

moderator.

pit

Package at the center of an implosion weapon that contains the machined fissile material that 

begins the fission chain reaction. Also called primary.

postum

An AEC pseudonym for polonium.

Q 

An AEC pseudonym for thorium.

soda pulp

A pseudonym for bismuth.

slug

Uranium target in the form of short cylinders encased in corrosion-resistant metals, placed in a 

nuclear reactor to produce plutonium.

weapons grade

Plutonium mixture with approximately 4 to 6% 240Pu.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS

SECTION TITLE

A.1 Reactors ..................................................................................................................................

PAGE

83

A.2 Fuel Reprocessing Facilities ..................................................................................................... 84

A.3 Fuel Fabrication Facilities ......................................................................................................... 87

A.4 Plutonium Finishing Facilities.................................................................................................... 88

A.5 Research and Development Facilities ....................................................................................... 90

A.6 Waste Facilities.........................................................................................................................92

LIST OF TABLES

TABLE TITLE

A-1 Production reactors years of operation...................................................................................

PAGE

83

A-2 Radionuclides of concern for all production reactors .............................................................. 83

A-3 Research and test reactors years of operation....................................................................... 84

A-4 Radionuclides of concern for all research and test reactors ................................................... 84

A-5 Fuel reprocessing facilities years of operation........................................................................ 84

A-6 Radionuclides of concern for all reprocessing facilities........................................................... 85

A-7 Activity composition of Hanford reference weapons-grade plutonium mixture ........................ 85

A-8 Activity composition of Hanford reference fuel-grade plutonium mixture................................. 86

A-9 Activity composition of Hanford reference commercial power fuel-grade plutonium 

mixture...................................................................................................................................86

A-10 Fuel fabrication facilities years of operation............................................................................ 88

A-11 Radionuclides of concern for all fuel fabrication and storage facilities .................................... 88

A-12 Radiological characteristics of Hanford uranium mixtures ...................................................... 88

A-13 Impurities in recycled uranium at Hanford .............................................................................. 89

A-14 Inhalation class for Hanford uranium compounds................................................................... 89

A-15 Plutonium finishing facilities years of operation ...................................................................... 90

A-16 Radionuclides of concern for plutonium finishing facilities ...................................................... 90

A-17 100 and 200 Area R&D facilities years of operation ............................................................... 91

A-18 300 Area R&D facilities years of operation ............................................................................. 91

A-19 Radionuclides of concern for all 100, 200, and 300 Area R&D facilities.................................. 91

A-20 Waste facilities years of operation.......................................................................................... 92

A-21 Radionuclides of concern for all waste facilities...................................................................... 92

A-22 Tank waste radionuclide inventory ......................................................................................... 92

ATTACHMENT A

DESCRIPTION OF FACILITIES AND PROCESSES

Page 1 of 11
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A.1 REACTORS 

External exposures at the production reactors are primarily due to the presence of activation and FPs 

[38]. During operation, entry was restricted or prevented in areas where high direct dose rates from 

photons and neutrons could occur.

Internal exposures at the production reactors relate primarily to the inhalation or absorption of 

activation products and, to a lesser degree, FPs during refueling and maintenance operations. 

Studies in later years at N Reactor to characterize worker exposure indicated the primary internal 

exposure in the production reactors was due to 60Co, a corrosion product. Sula, Carbaugh, and Bihl 

(1989) stated, “In general, a major characteristic of these corrosion product radionuclides, regardless 

of origin, is the presence of several radionuclides within a matrix of oxidized metal with 60Co the 

predominant radionuclide.” Radionuclides in the metal oxide corrosion product mixture include 58Co, 

60Co, 54Mn, and 59Fe, with 60Co being the predominant contributor to dose and activity. These 

radionuclides are all associated with elements in steel and alloys that are used in reactor components. 

Other radionuclides might be present in trace amounts, but they generally are of minimal internal 

dosimetry significance. Tables A-1 and A-2 list the years of operation and radionuclides of concern, 

respectively, for power reactors.

Table A-1. Production reactor years of operation [40]. 

Reactor

B C D DR F H KE KW N

9/1944–

2/1968

11/1952–

4/1969

12/1944–

6/1967

10/1950–

12/1964

2/1945–

6/1965

10/1949–

4/1965

2/1955–

1/1971

12/1954–

1970

12/1963–

1987

Table A-2. Radionuclides of concern for 

all production reactorsa

 (Marceau et al. 

2002).

As-76 I-135 Sr-91

Ca-41 Mn-54 Sr-92

Co-58 Mn-56 U-238

Co-60 Na-24 Y-90

Cr-51 Nb-97 Y-92

Cu-64 Np-239 Y-93

Fe-59 P-32 Zn-65

Ga-72 Si-31 Zn-69

I-133

a. The composition and relative abundance are 

not known. These radionuclides represent 

98% of radioactive materials in effluents. It 

should be noted that several of these are 

short-lived activation products (Si-31, As-76, 

etc.) that would result in only limited, if any, 

exposure to workers.

There were seven small research and test reactors that were operated at Hanford starting in 1944; 

only FFTF is still in existence [39]. External and internal exposures at these reactors were low (i.e., 

minimal in most cases) and unique to the specific reactor. With the exception of routine tritium 

exposures when working in the containment vessel at PRTR, external and internal exposures relate 

ATTACHMENT A

DESCRIPTION OF FACILITIES AND PROCESSES

Page 2 of 11
Document No. ORAUT-TKBS-0006-2 Revision No. 02 Effective Date: 02/22/2010 Page 84 of 92

primarily to minor accidents. Tables A-3 and A-4 list the years of operation and radionuclides of 

concern, respectively, for research and test reactors.

Table A-3. Research and test reactors years of operation [42]. 

Reactor

HTR PCTR TTR PRTR PRCF HTLTR FFTF

1943–1972 1954–1970 1954–1978 1960–1969 1962–1976 1968–1971 1979–1993

Table A-4. Radionuclides of concern for all 

research and test reactors (Marceau et al. 

2002).

Ba/La-140 Np-237 Ru-103

Ce-141 Po-210 S-35

Ce/Pm-144 Pu-238 U-233

Cf-252 Pu-239 U-234

Cm-244 Pu-240 U-235

Co-60 Ra-226 U-238

H-3 Rh/Ru-106 Zr/Nb-95

External exposure at the PRTR was minimized as a result of the remote operation and the shielding. 

Maintenance operations resulted in external exposure from activation and FPs. A high extremity 

exposure occurred when a worker picked up an irradiated steel pin. Tritium oxide was the principal 

internal exposure contaminant during normal operation. This was added to the whole-body dose (see 

ORAUT 2010a,b). The reactor was shut down in 1969 after an accident resulted in contamination in 

the reactor. A sample of the contamination showed the major contaminant was 95Zr/Nb. Other 

contaminants included 60Co, 103Ru, 106Ru, 106Rh, 140Ba/La, 141Ce, 144Ce, and 144Pr.

A.2 FUEL REPROCESSING FACILITIES

Tables A-5 and A-6 list the years of operation and radionuclides of concern, respectively, for Hanford 

fuel reprocessing facilities.

Table A-5. Fuel reprocessing facilities years of operation [43]. 

Separation Facility

B T REDOX PUREX U UO3 225-B C Tritium

4/1945–

10/1952a 12/1944–presentb 1/1952–12/1967c 1/1956–121992d 3/1952–1/1958

1/1952–

1993e 10/1974f

–

present

1949–

1967g

8/1949–

1955

a. In 1968, B Plant started to remove Sr-90 and Cs-137 from high-level wastes.

b. The T Plant discontinued reprocessing operation in March 1956* and was used as a decontamination facility; the 2706-T 

Annex was added in 1959.

c. The 233-S facility at REDOX started operation in 1957 and shut down in July 1967.

d. Closed in June 1972 and reopened in November 1983. The plant was started up and shut down several times between 

1983 and 1992. 

e. Shut down in 1972 and opened in 1983 (there were 17 startups and shutdowns between 1984 and 1992)

f. Startup of operations involving radioactive materials (Briggs 2001, p. 32).

g. Started operations in 1952* as REDOX Pilot Plant; 1954, started operations as PUREX Pilot Plant; 1962, started 

operation as Pilot Plant for recovery of cesium and strontium waste tanks.

ATTACHMENT A

DESCRIPTION OF FACILITIES AND PROCESSES

Page 3 of 11
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Table A-6. Radionuclides of concern for all 

reprocessing facilities (Marceau et al. 

2002). 

Am-241 Ru-103

Ba/La-140 Ru-106

Ce-141 Pu-239

Ce-144 Sr-90

Co-60 Th-232/228b

Cs-137 U-233b

H-3 U-234

I-131 U-235

Np-237a U-238

a. PUREX only 1958-72.

b. Special campaigns in PUREX only 1965, 1966, 1970. 

External exposures were primarily from high-energy betas and photons in the separations facilities 

associated with FPs [41]. Internal exposures, primarily associated with contamination incidents, could 

be due to FPs or plutonium. The following mix of radionuclides – 238PU, 239PU, 240Pu, and 241Pu – 

comprises most plutonium mixtures at Hanford. The Hanford plutonium mixtures in Tables A-7, A-8, 

and A-9 were categorized by their weight percent of 240Pu (PNNL 2003). When the production 

reactors were operating, the target mixture was ~ 6 wt% 240Pu (i.e., weapons grade). 

Table A-7. Activity composition of Hanford reference weapons-grade plutonium mixture (PNNL 2003). 

Mixture designation: Fresh 5-yr 10-yr 15-yr 20-yr 25-yr 30-yr

Years of aginga: 0 5 10 15 20 25 30

Specific activity in 

mixture (Ci/g)

Pu-238 8.56E-03 8.23E-03 7.91E-03 7.60E-03 7.31E-03 7.03E-03 6.75E-03

Pu-239 5.77E-02 5.77E-02 5.77E-02 5.77E-02 5.77E-02 5.77E-02 5.77E-02

Pu-240 1.36E-02 1.36E-02 1.36E-02 1.36E-02 1.36E-02 1.36E-02 1.36E-02

Pu-241 8.24E-01 6.48E-01 5.09E-01 4.00E-01 3.15E-01 2.48E-01 1.95E-01

Pu-242 1.97E-06 1.97E-06 1.97E-06 1.97E-06 1.97E-06 1.97E-06 1.97E-06

Am-241 0 5.83E-03 1.04E-02 1.39E-02 1.66E-02 1.87E-02 2.03E-02

Pu-239+240 7.13E-02 7.13E-02 7.13E-02 7.13E-02 7.12E-02 7.12E-02 7.12E-02

Pu-alpha 7.99E-02 7.95E-02 7.92E-02 7.89E-02 7.85E-02 7.83E-02 7.80E-02

Total alpha 7.99E-02 8.53E-02 8.96E-02 9.28E-02 9.52E-02 9.70E-02 9.83E-02

Activity ratios

Pu-239+240: Am-241 NA 12.2 6.87 5.13 4.28 3.80 3.50

Pu-239+240: Pu-238 8.33 8.67 9.01 9.38 9.74 10.1 10.5

Pu-241: Pu-239+240 11.6 9.09 7.15 5.62 4.42 3.48 2.73

Pu alpha:Pu-239+240 1.12 1.20 1.26 1.30 1.34 1.36 1.38

Pu alpha: Pu-238 9.33 9.66 10.0 10.4 10.7 11.1 11.6

Pu alpha: Am-241 NA 14.6 8.63 6.67 5.72 5.18 4.84

Pu-241: Pu alpha 10.3 8.15 6.43 5.07 4.01 3.17 2.50

a. Time since separation of Am-241 from the plutonium mix.

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Table A-8. Activity composition of Hanford reference fuel-grade plutonium mixture (PNNL 2003). 

Mixture designation: Fresh 5-year 10-year 15-year 20-year 25-year 30-year

Years of aginga: 0 5 10 15 20 25 30

Specific activity in 

mixture (Ci/g)

Pu-238 1.71E-02 1.64E-02 1.58E-02 1.52E-02 1.46E-02 1.40E-02 1.35E-02

Pu-239 5.26E-02 5.26E-02 5.26E-02 5.26E-02 5.26E-02 5.26E-02 5.25E-02

Pu-240 2.72E-02 2.72E-02 2.72E-02 2.72E-02 2.72E-02 2.71E-02 2.71E-02

Pu-241 3.09E+00 2.43E+00 1.91E+00 1.50E+00 1.18E+00 9.29E-01 7.30E-01

Pu-242 3.93E-06 3.93E-06 3.93E-06 3.93E-06 3.93E-06 3.93E-06 3.93E-06

Am-241 0 2.19E-02 3.89E-02 5.22E-02 6.24E-02 7.03E-02 7.63E-02

Pu-239+240 7.98E-02 7.98E-02 7.98E-02 7.97E-02 7.97E-02 7.97E-02 7.97E-02

Pu-alpha 9.69E-02 9.62E-02 9.56E-02 9.49E-02 9.43E-02 9.37E-02 9.32E-02

Total alpha 9.69E-02 1.18E-01 1.35E-01 1.47E-01 1.57E-01 1.64E-01 1.69E-01

Activity ratios

Pu-239+240: Am-241 NA 3.64 2.05 1.53 1.28 1.13 1.04

Pu-239+240: Pu-238 4.67 4.86 5.05 5.24 5.46 5.69 5.90

Pu-241: Pu-239+240 3.87 3.05 2.40 1.88 1.48 1.17 9.16

Pu alpha:Pu-239+240 1.21 1.21 1.20 1.19 1.18 1.18 1.17

Pu alpha: Pu-238 5.67 5.87 6.05 6.24 6.46 6.69 6.90

Pu alpha: Am-241 NA 4.39 2.46 1.82 1.51 1.33 1.22

Pu-241: Pu alpha 31.9 25.3 20.0 15.8 12.5 9.91 7.83

a. Time since separation of the Am-241 from the plutonium mix.

Table A-9. Activity composition of Hanford reference commercial power fuel-grade plutonium mixture

(PNNL 2003).

Mixture designation: Fresh 5-year 10-year 15-year 20-year 25-year 30-year

Years of aginga: 0 5 10 15 20 25 30

Specific activity in 

mixture (Ci/g)

Pu-238 1.71E-01 1.64E-01 1.58E-01 1.52E-01 1.46E-01 1.40E-01 1.35E-01

Pu-239 3.41E-02 3.41E-02 3.41E-02 3.41E-02 3.41E-02 3.41E-02 3.41E-02

Pu-240 5.90E-02 5.89E-02 5.89E-02 5.89E-02 5.89E-02 5.88E-02 5.88E-02

Pu-241 1.34E+01 1.05E+01 8.28E+00 6.51E+00 5.12E+00 4.03E+00 3.17E+00

Pu-242 1.97E-04 1.97E-04 1.97E-04 1.97E-04 1.97E-04 1.97E-04 1.97E-04

Am-241 0 9.49E-02 1.69E-01 2.26E-01 2.79E-01 3.04E-01 3.31E-01

Pu-239+240 9.31E-02 9.31E-02 9.30E-02 9.30E-02 9.29E-02 9.29E-02 9.29E-02

Pu-alpha 2.65E-01 2.58E-01 2.52E-01 2.45E-01 2.39E-01 2.34E-01 2.28E-01

Total alpha 2.65E-01 3.53E-01 4.20E-01 4.71E-01 5.10E-01 5.38E-01 5.59E-01

Activity Ratios

Pu-239+240: Am-241 NA 0.981 0.551 0.411 0.344 0.305 0.281

Pu-239+240: Pu-238 0.544 0.568 0.589 0.612 0.636 0.664 0.688

Pu-241: Pu-239+240 144 113 89.1 70.0 55.1 43.3 34.1

Pu alpha:Pu-239+240 2.85 2.77 2.71 2.63 2.57 2.52 2.45

Pu alpha: Pu-238 1.55 1.57 1.59 1.61 1.64 1.67 1.69

Pu alpha: Am-241 NA 2.72 1.49 1.08 0.857 0.770 0.689

Pu-241: Pu alpha 50.6 40.7 32.9 26.6 21.4 17.2 13.9

a. Time since separation of the Am-241 from the plutonium mix.

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A special study in the 1980s indicated frequent, intermittent releases of plutonium in the workplaces at 

levels below detectability for normal air sampling. This resulted in <10 mrem committed effective 

dose equivalent (Bihl 1993; Lyon et al. 1988, 1989).

The new lung model for internal dosimetry uses absorption types. The new types are F, M, and S for 

fast, moderate, and slow, respectively. A highly insoluble form, Super S, should also be considered

(ORAUT 2008). Plutonium in nitrate form is type M, which would apply to the separations plants up to 

the point when N Cell began operations at PUREX. Plutonium oxide is classed as type S. This would 

apply to material calcined at N Cell at PUREX. Type S at PUREX would apply only to N Cell, not the 

PR Room. Contamination remaining in old gloveboxes, hood exhaust ducts, high-efficiency 

particulate air (HEPA) and sand filters, housings, etc., probably would be classed between types M 

and S. This is because plutonium slowly oxidizes. Plutonium at 233-S was type M until 1967 when a 

fire resulted in the facility shutdown. The plutonium would have been type S by the time D&D started 

at 233-S in the 1980s. It should be assumed that after 1990 all plutonium at Hanford would be type S

or Super S because of natural oxidation. In general, plutonium absorption types M, S, and highly 

insoluble Super S should be considered for dose reconstruction (ORAUT 2008). Note: The default 

solubility classes should be used only when bioassay data are inconclusive.

The B Plant facilities were modified in 1968 to remove 90Sr and 137Cs from high-level wastes from the 

single- and double-shell waste tanks. The purified 90Sr and 137Cs solutions were transferred to the 

225-B Waste Encapsulation Storage Facility (see Section 2.2.2.6). Internal exposures from the 

operation were minimal due to the remote operation. As a result of remote operation, external 

exposures to high-energy photons and beta particles that resulted from the processing of large 

quantities of strontium and cesium were minimized. The 108-B Facility was used for the extraction of 

3

H for several years. Internal exposure was related to 3H, which was added to whole-body exposure 

(see ORAUT 2010a,b).

Internal exposures at the U and UO3 Plants were due to the large quantities of uranium that were 

processed. The contaminant could be found ranging from soluble uranyl nitrate and UO3 to insoluble 

UO2 and U3O8.

The inhalation class for Hanford uranium compounds, based on International Commission for 

Radiological Protection (ICRP) Publication 66 (ICRP 1994), is listed in Table A-14 (see Section A.3).

A.3 FUEL FABRICATION FACILITIES

External exposures related to the beta and photon radiation that is associated with uranium. Due to 

the pyrophoric nature of uranium turnings and chips, internal exposure related primarily to inhalation 

of uranium. A pressurization of one of the sealed metal storage cans resulted in the spread of 

plutonium contamination and the subsequent shutdown of the building until cleanup. The years of 

operation and radionuclides of concern are listed in Tables A-10 and A-11, respectively. The 

radiological characteristics of Hanford uranium mixtures are listed in Table A-12, and the impurities in 

recycled Hanford uranium are listed in Table A-13. The inhalation class for Hanford uranium 

compounds is listed in Table A-14. Note: The default solubility classes should be used only when 

bioassay data are inconclusive [44].

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Table A-10. Fuel fabrication facilities years of operation [45]. 

Fuel fabrication

313 314 333 303 Facilities 306

3/1944–1/1971 7/1944–1971 1961–1988 1944–present 5/1957–2004*

Table A-11. Radionuclides of concern for all fuel fabrication and storage facilities [46]. 

Am-241 Np-237 Pu-238 Pu-239 Th-232 U-235 U-238

Table A-12. Radiological characteristics of Hanford uranium mixtures (PNNL 

2003).

Uranium mixture

Weight 

percentagea,b

Natural 

(NU)

Depleted 

(DU)

Recycled 

(RU)

Commercial 

fuel (CF)

U-234 0.0057 0.0005 0.0082 0.0300

U-235 0.7204 0.2500 0.9700 2.9600

U-236 Negligible Negligible 0.0680 Negligible

U-238 99.2739 99.7500 98.9500 97.0100

Specific constituent activity in mixture (μCi/g, nCi/mg, or pCi/μgc

U-234 0.3563 0.0313 0.5125 1.8750

U-235 0.0156 0.0054 0.0210 0.0639

U-236 Negligible Negligible 0.0440 Negligible

U-238 0.3336 0.3352 0.3325 0.3260

Total 0.7054 0.3718 0.9099 2.2649

Specific constituent activity in mixture (dpm/μg)c

U-234 0.7909 0.0694 1.1378 4.1625

U-235 0.0345 0.0120 0.0465 0.1419

U-236 Negligible Negligible 0.0977 Negligible

U-238 0.7405 0.7441 0.7381 0.7236

Total 1.5659 0.8254 2.0200 5.0281

Constituent fraction of total uranium activity in mixture

U-234 0.5051 0.0840 0.5632 0.8279

U-235 0.0221 0.0145 0.0230 0.0282

U-236 Negligible Negligible 0.0484 Negligible

U-238 0.4729 0.9014 0.3654 0.1439

Total 1.0000 1.0000 1.0000 1.0000

a. NU, DU, and CF data from Rich et al. (1988).

b. RU data based on average of data presented by Sula, Carbaugh, and Bihl (1991).

c. Can be used to represent specific alpha activity in the mixture as well.

A.4 PLUTONIUM FINISHING FACILITIES

Although relatively few Hanford personnel were involved in plutonium finishing, these facilities 

provided the majority of personnel external exposures to neutron radiation. As production increased, 

10-in.-thick water-filled walls were installed to reduce worker exposure to neutrons. Special lead-filled 

gloves were installed to reduce extremity exposure. Worker external exposure in the vault rooms was

due to low-energy photons and neutrons that occurred during periodic inventory and inspection 

activities [47].

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Table A-13. Impurities in recycled uranium at Hanford (PNNL 2003).

Constituent Maximum alloweda Observed rangeb Reference levelc

Plutonium 10 ppb U <1–2 ppb U 0.4 nCi Pu-alpha/g U

Neptunium Not established 0.04-0.16 ppm U 0.4 nCi Np-237/g U

Thorium 750 ppm U 8–10 ppm U 5 pCi Th-232/g U

Tc-99 Not established 3–4 ppm U 0.2 μCi Tc-99/g U

Ru-103, -106 <20 μCi/lb U <6 μCi/lb U 40 nCi Ru-106/g U

Zr/Nb-95 <10 μCi/lb U <4 μCi/lb U 20 nCi ZrNb-95/g U

Other gamma emitters

excluding Tc-99

<2 μCi/lb U 0.09 0.75 μCi/lb U Negligible 

a. From UO3 Plant operating specifications (Sula, Carbaugh, and Bihl 1991). 

b. From analysis of uranium lots 88-1, 88-2, 88-3 that were processed in 1988, and lots 93-01, 93-02, 93-03, 93-04, and 

93-05, processed in 1993.

c. A reference level is chosen for determining bioassay monitoring needs and for use as an initial assumption in evaluation 

of intakes. The use of the reference levels is expected to result in a slight overestimate of dose compared to levels 

actually observed in 1988.

Table A-14. Inhalation class for Hanford uranium compounds (PNNL 2003).

ICRP Publication 30a

inhalation class from 

lung fluid studies Compound and location

Recommended ICRP 

Publication 66b lung 

absorption typec

80% D

20% W

Hanford UO3 Plant smear sample dissolution study in 

1984,d (UO3 powder)

F

10% D

90% Y

Hanford 303-M Building air sample dissolution studye (300 

Area Uranium Fuel Production Facilities)

S

29% D

71% Y

Hanford 333 Building air sample dissolution studye (300 

Area Uranium Fuel Production Facilities)

S

20% D

80% Y

Hanford 306-W Building Machine Shop air sample 

dissolution studye S

Uranyl nitrate at PUREX or UO3 Plant F

UCl4 or U carbonate (assumed form after discharge to the 

soil)

Mf

a. ICRP (1979).

b. ICRP (1994).

c. The default solubility classes should be used only when bioassay data is inconclusive.

d. Sula, Bihl, and Carbaugh (1989).

e. Fisher (1986).

f. Cooke and Holt (1974).

Internal exposures in the operating areas related primarily to contamination incidents that involved 

americium and plutonium because airflow patterns were designed to control the flow from areas of 

lower air contamination potential to higher. Maintenance and cleanup operations were conducted in 

protective clothing that included respiratory protection. Exposures occurred by inhalation, absorption, 

and injection (i.e., wound sites). Internal exposure in the vault areas was minimal because there were 

no routine activities that involved opening the storage containers. Internal exposure would have been 

a concern in the event of an incident that breached the containment [48].

In February 1960, RECUPLEX was temporarily shut down to permit an extensive cleanup of hoods 

and operating equipment. A criticality accident in the RECUPLEX facility in April 1962 resulted in high 

external radiation exposures and in widespread contamination throughout the RECUPLEX room [49].

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Plutonium in nitrate form is absorption type M, which would apply to the plutonium finishing plants 

where plutonium nitrate has been involved (RECUPLEX, 231-Z, etc.). Plutonium oxide that is classed 

as type S would apply to material that was calcined at the RMC Line at PFP. Contamination 

remaining in old gloveboxes, hood exhaust ducts, HEPA and sand filters, and housings, etc., probably 

would be classed between types M and S, but the default would be S. This is because plutonium 

slowly oxidizes. It should be assumed that after 1990 all plutonium at Hanford would be class S or 

Super S because of natural oxidation. In a study in the early 1990s of the isotopic distribution of 

plutonium at PFP, it was stated there were approximately 3.7 million g of plutonium with the 240Pu 

content ranging from 4% to >19% (Crowe and Szempruch 1994). In general, plutonium absorption 

types M, S, and highly insoluble Super S should be considered for dose reconstruction (ORAUT 

2008). Note: The default solubility classes should be used only when bioassay data is inclusive.

The years of operation and the radionuclides of concern are listed in Tables A-15 and A-16. The 

activity composition for Hanford reference plutonium mixtures is listed in Tables A-7, A-8, and A-9.

Table A-15. Plutonium finishing facilities years of operation [50]. 

Facility/process

231-Z 232-Z

234-5Z 

RG

234-5Z 

RMA

234-5Z 

RMC

234-5Z 

RECUPLEX

234-5Z 

Storage vault 236-Z 242-Z

1/1945– 

2/1977a

1/1962– 

1973

7/1949– 

1957

3/1952– 

1984b

10/1960– 

5/1989c

7/1955–

5/1962

1949– 

present

5/1964– 

8/1976d

1963– 

6/1977*e

a. In 1957, the mission changed to plutonium metallurgy development. From February 1975 to February 1977 the principal 

mission was cleanup and stabilization (Lini 2009, p. 1)

b. In 1964, line shutdown; in 1967, a glovebox was reactivated; in 1968, Tasks I-III were cleaned out and reactivated; final 

cessation of operations occurred in 1979; in 1984, it was decided to keep the RMA Line on standby but it never 

operated again. 

c. In 1962, 10-in.-thick water-filled shielding tanks were added to substantially reduce operator exposure to neutrons; 

several safety improvements were made in 1963 and 1964; fabrication of pits was removed from line in 1966. Shut 

down in 1976 as a result of explosion in 242-Z; restarted in 1985; shut down in 1989; restarted briefly in 1997 to process 

material from cleanout of 242-Z; 

d. In December 1975, it was shut down for upgrades; restarted in April 1976; shut down in August 1976 as a result of 

explosion in 242-Z.

e. In 1969, changed from batch to continuous process; in April 1976, shut down because of strike; restarted in April 1976; 

shut down in August 1976 as a result of explosion in americium recovery area. It was restarted briefly in early 1977 to 

process material left over from the shutdown the year before.

Table A-16. Radionuclides of concern for plutonium finishing facilities [51]. 

U-233 Np-237 Pu-238 Pu-239 Pu-240 Pu-241 Pu-242 Am-241

A.5 RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT FACILITIES

The 21 major research, development, and testing facilities at Hanford were in the 100, 200, and 300 

Areas. Construction of these started in 1944, and the last was completed in 1977. These facilities 

were built to support the development and testing of new processes, materials, and equipment. In 

some instances the facilities were used for several different purposes throughout their operating lives. 

Therefore, the potential exposures are dependent on the missions and processes at any given time. 

See Section 2.2.5 for discussion of internal and external exposure potential at specific facilities. The 

years of operation are listed in Tables A-17 and A-18; the radionuclides of concern are listed in Table

A-19.

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Table A-17. 100 and 200 Area R&D facilities years of operation [52]. 

Facility/process

108-F 120 209-E 222-B 222-S 222-T

1949–1977 4/1950–11/1951 7/1961–1986*

a 1945–1975 1949–present 1944–1986b

a. Only decade date found.

b. More than one date found.

Table A-18. 300 Area R&D facilities years of operation [53]. 

Facility/process

308 318 320 321 324 325 326

1960–1990*

a 1983–presentb 1966–present 1944–1988c 1966–present 1953–presentd 1953–present

Facility/process

327 329 331 3706 3730 3732 3741 3745

7/1953–

1987

1952–present 1972–present 1945–

late1960se 1949–1981 1949–1970 1944–1956 10/1944–1983f

a. In the mid-1960s, PRTR fuel work was terminated; neptunium-aluminum fuel elements produced in late 1960s; high bay 

area added in 1971; from 1977 to March 1990, FFTF fuel elements were produced; the 308A annex was added in 1979; 

TRIGA reactor was installed in the late 1970s.

b. The HTLTR commenced operation in the 318 Building in 1967; the reactor was shut down in 1971; the reactor was 

removed in the early 1980s; there were major additions in 1982, 1987, and 1989; the calibration facility commenced 

operation in 1983.

c. The 321 Separation Building started in 1944; in late 1944, work with small amounts of irradiated materials (<1 Ci) to 

conduct separations experiments and to study decontamination factors; in 1949, a cold test of REDOX process was 

performed; a cold test of the PUREX process occurred in 1953.

d. The 325-A hot cell wing was added in 1959*; routine manufacture of Pm-147 heat sources began in 1966; Po-210 work 

started in June 1972 and ended in 1975* for use with the demonstration of the Waste Vitrification Process for 

commercial wastes.

e. Most of the radiation laboratories were removed in 1954;building converted to offices in the 1970s and still in use in the 

early 1990s.

f. The 3745-B annex that housed a 4-MV Positive Ion Accelerator started operation in 1955; the 3745-A annex that 

housed a 2-MV Negative Ion Accelerator started operation in 1950*; the calibrations operations were transferred to the 

318 Building in 1983; the building is being used as offices.

Table A-19. Radionuclides of concern for 

all 100, 200, and 300 Area R&D facilities 

[54]. 

Am-241 Pu-240

C-14 Ru-103

Ce-144 Ru-106

Co-60 S-35

Cm-244 Sr-90

Cs-137 Th-232/228

Cu-64 U-233

I-131 U-234

Np-237 U-235

Pm-147 U-238

Po-210 Y-90

Pu-238 Zr/Nb-95

Pu-239
Document No. ORAUT-TKBS-0006-2 Revision No. 02 Effective Date: 02/22/2010 Page 92 of 92

A.6 WASTE FACILITIES

The years of operation and radionuclides of concern for Hanford Site waste facilities are listed in 

Tables A-20 and A-21, respectively.

Table A-20. Waste facilities years of operation [55]. 

Facility/process

Waste tanks

Z-9 Trench 

Facility 241-Z

242 Evaporator 

Facilities

Exhaust Filtration 

Facilities

340 Waste 

Complex

1944–present 1955–7/1978 1949–1973 1951–present 1947–19UNK 1954–present

Table A-21. Radionuclides of concern for 

all waste facilities [56]. 

Am-241 Pu-238

Ce-141 Pu-239

Ce-144 Pu-240

Co-60 Ru-103

Cs-137 Ru-106

I-131 Sr/Y-90

Pm-147 Th-232/228

External exposure related to high-energy beta and photon radiations from the FPs in the tanks. Under 

normal conditions, shielding, distance, and time helped keep personnel external exposures at a low 

level. Leaks of high-level wastes that could result in unusual or unplanned external exposures were 

documented in incident or accident reports. In 1994, data were included in Boomer et al. (1994) on 

tank waste radionuclide inventory. The data from that report are included in Table A-22. Internal 

exposures to FPs were controlled through the use of respiratory protection.

Table A-22. Tank waste radionuclide inventory [57]. 

Mega curies of 

radioactive specie

Liquid components Solid components

Double-shell tanks Single-shell tanks Double-shell tanks Single-shell tanks

Cs-137 and Ba-137 6.40 E+01 2.53 E+01 2.33 E+00 8.45 E+00

Sr-90 and Y-90 3.93 E+00 1.14 E+01 2.17 E+01 1.13 E+02

Tc-99 2.28 E-02 7.82 E-03 1.35 E-03 7.82 E-03

Am-241 1.45 E-02 4.70 E-03 7.97 E-02 4.23 E-02

Np-237 1.64 E-05 3.30 E-06 1.92 E-05 2.97 E-05

Pu 3.84 E-03 5.50 E-04 6.80 E-03 2.69 E-02

Transuranic elements 1.93 E-02 5.25 E-03 9.10 E-02 6.92 E-02

A mining operation to remove an estimated 45 kg of plutonium from the Z-9 trench was initiated in 

August 1976 and was completed in July 1978. The principal internal exposure potential related to 

239Pu contamination, most of which occurred in the soil packaging glovebox. Because the waste site 

was used only for plutonium, the external exposure potential during the mining operation was minimal.

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