Design and use of plasma APC cutting equipment
This report discusses the use of the plasma arc cutting system in the decommissioning of the Sequoyah Fuels Corporation Plutonium Fuels Fabrication Facility (``The Cimarron Facility``), Crescent, Oklahoma. The system uses a plasma arc cutting torch modified for either manual or automatic operation and adaptable for use in either a normal glove box environment or in one which has been inerted to eliminate potential hazards of flammable or explosive materials. The program to decommission the Cimarron Facility will not be completed for several more years, but sufficient amount of work has been done with the plasma arc cutting system to allow the following conclusions to be drawn: (1) Major cost savings can be realized by the use of plasma arc cutting (rather than the more conventional mechanical methods) for the large amounts of thick stainless steel used for process equipment and glove boxes in a plutonium production facility. These savings are primarily due to the extremely rapid rate at which the plasma arc torch can cut the thick stainless steel. Experience to date has indicated a major reduction in operating man-hours by use of this equipment, even under the most difficult conditions of remote automatic operation in an inert atmosphere. (2) The speed of operation, and the fact that the cutting can be done in a ventilated glove box, markedly increases operator efficiency by eliminating the need for cumbersome protective clothing and decreases potential operator exposure to the hazards of plutonium contamination and gamma radiation.
- Research Organization:
- Sequoyah Fuels Corp., Oklahoma City, OK (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC06-83RL10382
- OSTI ID:
- 10151409
- Report Number(s):
- DOE/RL/10382-1; ON: DE94011964
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: PBD: [1994]
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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