Release of overheated liquids from plutonium-nitrate transfer containers

Plutonium is conveyed in titanium bottles as Plutonium nitrate. These bottles have a volume of 10 liters and are protected against heat and mechanical shock by a layer of asbestos. In case this protection fails during a transport accident in a fire, the Pubottle might be overheated and explode. Some of the released Punitrate will be in the state of an aerosol. For the experiments Ce is used as a substitute for Pu. The orientation of the bottle (vertical, horizontal), the degree of filling and the concentration of the Pu-solution are varied. Also bottles with defined cracks are used. Main paramaters for measurement are the amount of released, inhalable Ce and the particle size distribution of the aerosol.