This report, for August 1964 from the Chemical Processing Department at HAPO, discusses the following: Production operation; Purex and Redox operation; Finished products operation; maintenance; Financial operations; facilities engineering; research; employee relations; weapons manufacturing operation; and safety and security.

The final product from the Reduction Operation at the present time is an unalloyed button of reasonably high purity and density. Considerable effort is being directed toward improvement of button purity and surface finish, or appearance. A direct ingoting step is proposed in place of button pickling as a practical means of improving metal quality and appearance. A second ingoting step is proposed to further improve process economics through improved radiographic integrity. Ingoting of buttons immediately following reduction appears to be a more direct and practical approach to definition and improvement of metal purity and improvement of product appearance. The proposed process change places button ingoting within the scope of the Reduction Operation. The final product from the Reduction Operation will then be an ingot of uniform composition (no segregation), reliable density and plutonium content (no slag inclusions or voids). The ingot could be subdivided in this operation, ready for Foundry use; or it could be cast as an ingot of assured quality for off-site shipment.

A proposal has been made for ingoting of buttons, without pickling, immediately after breakout from the reduction vessel. This proposed process change could enable the substitution of an ingot of definable, high purity, and good appearance in place of a button as the final product of the Reduction Operation. The change should also achieve economic advantages and decrease radiation exposure. The packaging and storage of the resultant high-grade ingot will require a change of storage container from that presently used to eliminate plastic materials. High-grade plutonium metal corrodes rapidly when packaged in plastic. The ingots, to be prepared in the process test described below, provide an opportunity for testing of a revised, organic-free storage container. The purposes of this process test do not depend on the nature of the buttons processed, hence the tests could be run with unalloyed buttons or with alloyed buttons (RAB), as current FAB needs dictate.

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This specification outlines the Westinghouse Astronuclear Laboratory (WANL) requirements for the calibration of all accelerometers used for reactor instrumentation.