Nitric Acid shipments

With the advent of World War I in the summer of 1914, the United States (U.S.) chemists and the chemical industry were propelled into the public arena. At the time, the Germans dominated the chemical industry. However, shipments of chemicals from Germany to the U.S. were thwarted by the British blockade. Consequently, several American Chemical Society (ACS) chapters called on U.S. chemical companies to expand production into dyestuffs, pharmaceuticals, and other organic chemicals. The war effort led to expansions in the steel and petroleum industries which stimulated growth in the production of coal-tar chemicals and petrochemicals that the chemical industry could convert to dyes, drugs, and other products. This lessened the dependence on Germany. The increased demand for explosives called for increased supplies of toluene, phenol and nitric acid (Skolnik Reese, 1976). 

Close scheduling is recommended for the transport of nitric acid that has a concentration above 99%. For truck shipments the maximum recommended transport time is three (3) days while rail shipments have a recommended transport time of five (5) days97. 

The pure plutonium nitrate product from the solvent extraction process was concentrated in a titanium evaporator and conditioned with respect to nitric acid concentration and the plutonium IV valency state to reduce radiolytic off-gas production before loading to the transport flask for shipment to BNFL Sellaiield. 

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