Cimarron Fuel Fabrication Site
Encyclopedia
The Cimarron Fuel Fabrication Site was a nuclear fuel production facility located by the Cimarron River near Crescent, Oklahoma
. It was operated by Kerr-McGee Corporation (KMC) from 1965-1975.
refinery were transported to Cimarron in the 1960s.
In 1965 Kerr-McGee got an NRC
license to make nuclear fuel at the plant.
The plant made Uranium Fuel.
The plant also made mixed Plutonium-Uranium Oxide (MOX)
'driver fuel pins' for use in the Fast Flux Test Facility
at the Hanford Site
in Washington State. Along with NUMEC, Kerr-McGee made the fuel pins for FFTF cores 1 and 2, between 1973 and 1975. The pins were quality tested by the Plutonium Finishing Plant
at Hanford. The method they used to create the MOX was the unusual "coprecipitation of plutonium nitrate and uranium nitrate solution". The plant shut down in 1976.
In 1983 Kerr-McGee Nuclear split into Quivira Mining Corporation
and Sequoyah Fuels Corporation
, although both were still owned by Kerr-McGee
. Sequoyah got the Cimarron plant. Sequoyah was then sold to General Atomics
in 1988, but Kerr-McGee kept control of Cimarron under a subsidiary named the Cimarron Corporation. In 2005 Kerr-McGee formed a new subsidiary named Tronox, and it then gained ownership of Cimarron. Tronox was then spun off as an independent company in 2006, a few months before KMC was bought by Anadarko Petroleum. Tronox went bankrupt in 2008/2009, blaming in part the environmental debts it inherited from KMC. Tronox shareholders later sued Anadarko Petroleum (KMC's successor) for having misled investors.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission
license numbers were SNM-928 for the Uranium production and SNM-1174 for the MOX production.
was employed when she died under mysterious circumstances after her union activism and whistleblowing. It is also the place where she was contaminated with plutonium. This happened in 1974.
Crescent, Oklahoma
Crescent is a city in Logan County, Oklahoma, United States. The population inside the city limits was 1,281 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Oklahoma City Metropolitan Statistical Area...
. It was operated by Kerr-McGee Corporation (KMC) from 1965-1975.
History
Some of the byproducts and waste from Kerr-McGee's Uranium and Thorium processing at its Cushing, OklahomaCushing, Oklahoma
Cushing is a city in Payne County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 8,371 at the 2000 census.The city was established after the Land Run of 1891 by Billy Rae Little. It was named for Marshall Cushing, private secretary to U.S. Postmaster General John Wanamaker...
refinery were transported to Cimarron in the 1960s.
In 1965 Kerr-McGee got an NRC
NRC
NRC may refer to:Research centres and other establishments* National Research Centre, Egypt* National Research Council * Nokia Research Center* United States National Research CouncilOther educational* National Resource Center, U.S...
license to make nuclear fuel at the plant.
The plant made Uranium Fuel.
The plant also made mixed Plutonium-Uranium Oxide (MOX)
Mox
MOX might be a name or acronym for:*Malaysian Oxygen Berhad - A Malaysian company that is specializes in providing total gas solutions.*Mixed Oxide Fuel, from nuclear reprocessing*An alien race in the TimeSplitters 2 video game, the Mox...
'driver fuel pins' for use in the Fast Flux Test Facility
Fast Flux Test Facility
The Fast Flux Test Facility is a 400 MW nuclear test reactor owned by the U.S. Department of Energy.It is situated in the 400 Area of the Hanford Site, which is located in the state of Washington.-History:...
at the Hanford Site
Hanford Site
The Hanford Site is a mostly decommissioned nuclear production complex on the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington, operated by the United States federal government. The site has been known by many names, including Hanford Works, Hanford Engineer Works or HEW, Hanford Nuclear Reservation...
in Washington State. Along with NUMEC, Kerr-McGee made the fuel pins for FFTF cores 1 and 2, between 1973 and 1975. The pins were quality tested by the Plutonium Finishing Plant
Plutonium Finishing Plant
The Plutonium Finishing Plant , also known as 'Z Plant', was part of the Hanford Site nuclear research complex in the state of Washington, USA.-History:...
at Hanford. The method they used to create the MOX was the unusual "coprecipitation of plutonium nitrate and uranium nitrate solution". The plant shut down in 1976.
In 1983 Kerr-McGee Nuclear split into Quivira Mining Corporation
Quivira Mining Corporation
The Quivira Mining Corporation was a uranium mining company owned by Kerr-McGee Corporation. It was formed from the Kerr-McGee Nuclear Corporation in 1983....
and Sequoyah Fuels Corporation
Sequoyah Fuels Corporation
Sequoyah Fuels Corporation owned and operated a uranium processing plant near Gore, Oklahoma. The company was created in 1983 as a subsidiary of Kerr-McGee. In 1988 it was sold to General Atomics-Uranium processing plant :...
, although both were still owned by Kerr-McGee
Kerr-McGee
The Kerr-McGee Corporation, founded in 1929, was an energy company involved in the exploration and production of oil and gas. On June 23, 2006, Houston-based Anadarko Petroleum Corporation agreed to acquire Kerr-McGee in an all-cash transaction totaling $16.5 billion plus the assumption of $2.6...
. Sequoyah got the Cimarron plant. Sequoyah was then sold to General Atomics
General Atomics
General Atomics is a nuclear physics and defense contractor headquartered in San Diego, California. General Atomics’ research into fission and fusion matured into competencies in related technologies, allowing the company to expand into other fields of research...
in 1988, but Kerr-McGee kept control of Cimarron under a subsidiary named the Cimarron Corporation. In 2005 Kerr-McGee formed a new subsidiary named Tronox, and it then gained ownership of Cimarron. Tronox was then spun off as an independent company in 2006, a few months before KMC was bought by Anadarko Petroleum. Tronox went bankrupt in 2008/2009, blaming in part the environmental debts it inherited from KMC. Tronox shareholders later sued Anadarko Petroleum (KMC's successor) for having misled investors.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Nuclear Regulatory Commission
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is an independent agency of the United States government that was established by the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974 from the United States Atomic Energy Commission, and was first opened January 19, 1975...
license numbers were SNM-928 for the Uranium production and SNM-1174 for the MOX production.
Silkwood
This was the facility where Karen SilkwoodKaren Silkwood
Karen Gay Silkwood was an American labor union activist and chemical technician at the Kerr-McGee plant near Crescent, Oklahoma, United States. Silkwood's job was making plutonium pellets for nuclear reactor fuel rods...
was employed when she died under mysterious circumstances after her union activism and whistleblowing. It is also the place where she was contaminated with plutonium. This happened in 1974.