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Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
September 8–11, 2025
Atlanta, GA|Atlanta Marriott Marquis
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Hash Hashemian: Visionary leadership
As Dr. Hashem M. “Hash” Hashemian prepares to step into his term as President of the American Nuclear Society, he is clear that he wants to make the most of this unique moment.
A groundswell in public approval of nuclear is finding a home in growing governmental support that is backed by a tailwind of technological innovation. “Now is a good time to be in nuclear,” Hashemian said, as he explained the criticality of this moment and what he hoped to accomplish as president.
Leonard W. Gray
Nuclear Technology | Volume 52 | Number 1 | January 1981 | Pages 66-72
Technical Paper | Chemical Processing | doi.org/10.13182/NT81-A32690
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Plutonium metal dissolves readily in sulfamic acid; the dissolution rate is a function of surface area, sulfamic acid concentration, and temperature. Below a temperature of ∼ 50°C, the dissolution mechanism appears to proceed through a PuH2 intermediate that yields a pyrophoric sludge. Above a temperature of ∼60°C, neither the intermediate nor the sludge forms unless the sulfamic acid concentration drops below 0.4 M. Overall dissolution rates of 400 to 500 g Pu/h are obtainable with typical plutonium buttons. Downstream processing requires conversion of the sulfamate to a nitrate medium. Approximately 90% of the residual sulfamate ion can be precipitated as sulfamic acid by the addition of two volumes of 72% HNO3 to one volume of the plutonium sulfamate-sulfamic acid solution if the solution is chilled to -10°C. The small amount of sulfamate remaining can be oxidized either by diluting the nitric acid to ∼3 M and irradiating the solution with ultraviolet light or by diluting the solution with pre-irradiated 3 M HNO3.