Evaluation of Aqueous and Powder Processing Techniques for Production of Pu-238 Fueled General Purpose Heat Sources; INL/EXT-08-14017 Revision 0

Various paginations (approximately 90 pages). Acronyms. Illustrations. Figures. Tables. References.Format is approximately 8.5 inches by 11 inches. Ink phone number on title page. This was prepared for the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Nuclear Energy Science and Technology, Under DOE Idaho Operations Office Contract DE-AC07-05ID14517. This report evaluates alternative processes that could be used to produce Pu-238 fueled General Purpose Heat Sources (GHPS) for radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTG). Fabricating GPHSs with the current process had remained essentially unchanged since its development in the 1970s. Thirty years of technological advancements have been made in the fields of chemistry, manufacturing, ceramics, and control systems. At the Department of Energy's request, alternate manufacturing methods were compared to current methods to determine if alternative fabrication processes could reduce the hazards, especially the production of respirable fines, while producing an equivalent GPHS product, An expert committed performed the evaluation with input from four national laboratories experienced in Pu-238 handling. The objectives of the evaluation were: to minimize the potential for airborne radioactive contamination release during fabrication; to reduce personnel radiation exposure during fabrication; and to reduce cracking of the unclad pellets while satisfying impact tests and operating performance requirements. This evaluation reduced the list of process alternatives to a small number that warranted further testing. The evaluation Executive Summary presented a graphic that depicted a timeline for selecting a final Pu-238 GHPS fabrication process and qualifying the new process for space flight.…