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THE MANHATTAN PROJECT 1942 - 1945

THE MANHATTAN PROJECT 1942 - 1945. Possible Routes to Fissionable Materials Considered by U. S. in 1942. Gaseous Diffusion Electromagnetic Separation Centrifugation Liquid Thermal Diffusion. U-235. Natural Uranium (99.3% U-238, 0.7% U-235). Uranium-graphite reactor

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THE MANHATTAN PROJECT 1942 - 1945

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  1. THE MANHATTAN PROJECT 1942 - 1945

  2. Possible Routes to Fissionable MaterialsConsidered by U. S. in 1942 • Gaseous Diffusion • Electromagnetic Separation • Centrifugation • Liquid Thermal Diffusion U-235 Natural Uranium (99.3% U-238, 0.7% U-235) • Uranium-graphite reactor • Uranium-heavy water reactor Pu-239

  3. Uranium Metallurgy

  4. Methods Used to Separate U-235 from U-238

  5. Gaseous Diffusion K-25 Plant Oak Ridge

  6. Calutrons at the Y-12 Plant Oak Ridge

  7. Y-12 Electromagnetic Separation Plant Oak Ridge

  8. Production of weapons grade U-235Oak Ridge, TN - 1944-45 Natural uranium U-235 (0.7 %) UF6 (g) Product U-235 (90%) UF4 (s) S-50 Thermal Diffusion Y-12 Beta Calutrons U-235 (0.86%) UF6 (g) U-235 (15%) UF4 (s) K-25 Gaseous Diffusion Y-12 Alpha Calutrons U-235 (7%) UF4 (s)

  9. Production of Plutonium From Uranium in a Nuclear Reactor

  10. Fuel Fabrication • Prepare fissile material to fuel nuclear reactors.

  11. Naturally Occurring Uranium U-238 (99.3%) U-235 (0.7%) Hanford Irradiated Fuel U-238 (>98%) other radioactive isotopes including Pu-239 (<1%) U-235 (<1%) 4000 grams of irradiated uranium produce approximately 1 gram Pu-239

  12. 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. HNO3 Pu(s) + X(s) Pu4+(aq) + Xy+(aq) H2SO4 H3PO4 Pu4+(aq) + Xy+(aq) + Bi3+(aq) Pu3(PO)4(s) + Xy+(aq) + BiPO4(s) HNO3 Pu3(PO)4(s) + BiPO4(s) Pu6+(aq) + Bi3+(aq) oxid. agent H3PO4 Pu6+(aq) + Bi3+(aq) Pu6+(aq) + BiPO4(s) H2O2 reducing agent Pu6+(aq) PuO22+(aq) Pu(s) Plutonium was redissolved and further purified using LaF2 in place of BiPO4(s) X(s) = fission products or uranium; y+ = oxidation state

  13. Inside Hanford T Plant

  14. 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 TNT Casualties ~ 100,000 immediate deaths ~ 200,000 total deaths

  15. Fat Man - Nagasaki - 1102, August 9, 1945 Size: ~ 10.5 ft long, 5ft. Diameter Weight: 10,300 lbs.. (12 lbs.. Pu-239 of which ~ 2 lbs. underwent fission) Height of blast: 1650 ft. Yield: 22 Kt of TNT Casualties: ~70,000 immediate deaths ~140,000 total deaths

  16. THE LEGACY OF HIROSHIMA 1945 - 2004

  17. Fuel rod fabrication plant in Yongbyon, North Korea

  18. Map of DPRK Nuclear Sites

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