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Nuclear methods for screwworm eradication
Last week, the International Atomic Energy Agency announced the launch of a coordinated research project focused on a nuclear technique that can tackle the reemergence of New World screwworm (NWS) in Central America, Mexico, and the United States.
L. C. Olson, R. A. Pierce, H. M Ajo
Nuclear Technology | Volume 208 | Number 6 | June 2022 | Pages 1049-1058
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.1080/00295450.2021.1988821
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The Savannah River National Laboratory evaluated several options for disposition of stainless steel (SS)–clad plutonium metal, particularly Pu-10.6 at. % Al (Pu- 1.3 wt% Al) alloy fuel. One technology considered was alloying fuel with SS. The goal of the alloying would be to make a SS-Pu alloy that was a nonproliferable waste form with secondary Pu-rich microencapsulated regions distributed throughout the refractory SS. The microencapsulation of the Pu regions should therefore allow the waste form to meet the requirements for a low attractiveness waste as defined by the U.S. Department of Energy. Plutonium-bearing alloys at these levels could potentially be suitable for disposal at a waste isolation pilot plant. Four metal ingots were successfully fabricated using U and Al as a surrogate for Pu-Al. The U was distributed and microencapsulated by the alloy matrix, thereby setting the stage for subsequent tests using SS-clad fuel elements containing Pu-10.6Al.