Download - THE MANHATTAN PROJECT 1942 - 1945
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