Celestin reactors

The Pu/Al targets were initially the fuel elements for the Celestin reactor. After irradiation and cooling, some targets were rer-irradiptedL for nine months (average flux 2.5 x 101 n.cnT. s to improve the isotopic quality of the americium 243 and plutonium 242 which they contained. 

The French transplutonium elements production program (essentially 21+3Am and 2l+,+ Cm) is based on the treatment of plutonium-aluminum alloy targets irradiated in the Celestin reactors at Mar-coule. At the time of chemical treatment, these targets (which initially contained approximately 400 g of 239Pu) contain 44 g of 21+2Pu, 8.5 g of 2l+3Am, 7.5 g of 2l+,+Cm, and about 340 g of fission products, including - 240 g of lanthanides, chiefly the elements La, Ce and Nd (J). 

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