THE MANHATTAN PROJECT1942 - 1945

Possible Routes to Fissionable Materials

Considered by U. S. in 1942

Natural Uranium(99.3% U-238, 0.7% U-235)

•Gaseous Diffusion•Electromagnetic Separation•Centrifugation•Liquid Thermal Diffusion

U-235

•Uranium-graphite reactor•Uranium-heavy water reactor

Pu-239

Uranium MetallurgyUranium Metallurgy

Methods Used to Separate U-235

from U-238

Gaseous DiffusionK-25 Plant

Oak Ridge

Calutrons at the Y-12 Plant

Oak Ridge

Y-12 Electromagnetic Separation Plant

Oak Ridge

Production of weapons grade U-235Oak Ridge, TN - 1944-45

Natural uraniumU-235 (0.7 %)

UF6 (g)

U-235 (0.86%)UF6 (g)

U-235 (7%)UF4 (s)

ProductU-235 (90%)

UF4 (s)

U-235 (15%)UF4 (s)

S-50Thermal Diffusion

K-25Gaseous Diffusion

Y-12Alpha Calutrons

Y-12Beta Calutrons

Production of Plutonium From Uranium in a

Nuclear Reactor

Fuel Fabrication

• Prepare fissile material to fuel nuclear reactors.

Naturally Occurring Uranium

U-235 (0.7%)

U-238 (99.3%)

Hanford Irradiated Fuel

U-235 (<1%) other radioactive isotopes including Pu-239 (<1%)

U-238 (>98%)

4000 grams of irradiated uranium produce approximately 1 gram Pu-239

Pu Recovery by Bismuth Phosphate Process

• Pu is found in low concentrations (<250 ppm) in reactor products.

• Weapons grade Pu must be chemically pure (< 1 part in 107 parts Pu).

• The Pu recovery for total process was 95% with < 1 part impurity in 107.

Pu(s) + X(s) HNO3 Pu4+(aq) + Xy+(aq)H2SO4

Pu4+(aq) + Xy+(aq) + Bi3+(aq) Pu3(PO)4(s) + Xy+(aq) + BiPO4(s)

Pu3(PO)4(s) + BiPO4(s)HNO3

oxid. agentPu6+(aq) + Bi3+(aq)

Pu6+(aq) + Bi3+(aq)

H3PO4

H3PO4 Pu6+(aq) + BiPO4(s)

Pu6+(aq)H2O2 PuO2

2+(aq) Pu(s)reducingagent

X(s) = fission products or uranium; y+ = oxidation state

Plutonium was redissolved and further purified using LaF2 in place of BiPO4(s)

Inside Hanford T Plant

Little Boy - Hiroshima - 0815, August 6, 1945

Size: 10 ft long Weight: 8.900 lbs. (132 lbs >90% U-235)

(~ 2lbs underwent fission)Height of blast: 1900 ft.Yield: 15 - 16 Kt TNTCasualties ~ 100,000 immediate deaths

~ 200,000 total deaths

Fat Man - Nagasaki - 1102, August 9, 1945

Size: ~ 10.5 ft long, 5ft. DiameterWeight: 10,300 lbs.. (12 lbs.. Pu-239 of which

~ 2 lbs. underwent fission)Height of blast: 1650 ft.Yield: 22 Kt of TNTCasualties: ~70,000 immediate deaths

~140,000 total deaths

THE LEGACY OF HIROSHIMA1945 - 2004

Fuel rod fabrication plant in Yongbyon, North Korea

Map of DPRK Nuclear Sites

http://alsos.wlu.edu

http://www.chemcases.com/2003version/nuclear/index2.htm