A Computer-Assist Material Tracking System as a Criticality Safety Aid to Operators
- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
In today's compliant-driven environment, fissionable material handlers are inundated with work control rules and procedures in carrying out nuclear operations. Historically, human errors are one of the key contributors of various criticality accidents. Since moving and handling fissionable materials are key components of their job functions, any means that can be provided to assist operators in facilitating fissionable material moves will help improve operational efficiency and enhance criticality safety implementation. From the criticality safety perspective, operational issues have been encountered in Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) plutonium operations. Those issues included lack of adequate historical record keeping for the fissionable material stored in containers, a need for a better way of accommodating operations in a research and development setting, and better means of helping material handlers in carrying out various criticality safety controls. Through the years, effective means were implemented including better work control process, standardized criticality control conditions (SCCC) and relocation of criticality safety engineers to the plutonium facility. Another important measure taken was to develop a computer data acquisition system for criticality safety assessment, which is the subject of this paper. The purpose of the Criticality Special Support System (CSSS) is to integrate many of the proven operational support protocols into a software system to assist operators with assessing compliance to procedures during the handling and movement of fissionable materials. Many nuclear facilities utilize mass cards or a computer program to track fissionable material mass data in operations. Additional item specific data such as, the presence of moderators or close-fitting reflectors, could be helpful to fissionable material handlers in assessing compliance to SCCC's. Computer-assist checking of a workstation material inventory against the designated SCCC to enhance the material movement was also recognized. The following three additional functions of the CSSS were requested by operational personnel: additional record keeping, assisting room inventory Material at Risk (MAR) calculations and generating the material label to be placed on a storage can. In 1998, a preliminary CSSS concept was presented to all key stakeholders for the feasibility of such an application. Subsequently, the CSSS was developed with full participation of all stakeholders including fissionable material handlers. In 2003, five CSSS workstations were deployed in the plutonium facility for beta testing and resolving any issues from the field uses. Currently, the CSSS is deployed in all laboratories in the LLNL Plutonium Facility. Initial deployment consists of only a few of the full system functions described in this paper. Final deployment of all functions will take a few more years to assure the system meets quality assurance requirements of a safety significant system.
- Research Organization:
- Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-48
- OSTI ID:
- 909634
- Report Number(s):
- UCRL-PROC-229561; TRN: US0703941
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 8. International Conference on Nuclear Criticality Safety (ICNC 2007), Practice of Criticality Safety Design and Control, St. Petersburg (Russia), 28 May - 1 Jun 2007; Related Information: https://www.ans.org/meetings/view-6/
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING
COMPUTER CODES
COMPUTERS
CRITICALITY
DATA ACQUISITION SYSTEMS
FISSIONABLE MATERIALS
LAWRENCE LIVERMORE NATIONAL LABORATORY
NUCLEAR FACILITIES
PLUTONIUM
QUALITY ASSURANCE
RADIATION ACCIDENTS
SAFETY
Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP)
Fissionable Material Handlers
Standardized Criticality Control Conditions (SCCC)
Criticality Special Support System (CSSS)
Material at Risk (MAR) Calculations
Operational Personnel
Nuclear Facility Operations