Particle Size Distributions of Plutonium Aerosols Produced in and Released from Nuclear Fuel Facilities (Literature Survey)

The literature on plutonium aerosols was surveyed for information (1) particle size distributions of plutonium aerosols from nuclear facilities, (2) collection efficiencies for plutonium aerosol particles of multi-stage HEPA filter systems used as exhaust air cleaning systems in these facilities, and (3) particle size distributions of plutonium aerosols discharged through the air cleaning systems.Following are the results.1. Mean particle sizes of plutonium aerosols from chemical plants are about 0.5μm AMAD and from fuel fabrication plants about 3μcm AMAD.2. Average collection efficiencies for plutonium aerosols of the first and second stage HEPA filters in the multi-stage HEPA filter systems exceed 99.99%.3. Mean particle sizes of plutonium aerosols discharged through the air cleaning systems are 0.2μm-0.4μm AMAD for chemical plants and 0.5μm-1.2μm AMAD for fuel fabrication plants.