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Title: Small-Scale Experiments.10-gallon drum experiment summary

Abstract

A series of sub-scale (10-gallon) drum experiments were conducted to characterize the reactivity, heat generation, and gas generation of mixtures of chemicals believed to be present in the drum (68660) known to have breached in association with the radiation release event at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) on February 14, 2014, at a scale expected to be large enough to replicate the environment in that drum but small enough to be practical, safe, and cost effective. These tests were not intended to replicate all the properties of drum 68660 or the event that led to its breach, or to validate a particular hypothesis of the release event. They were intended to observe, in a controlled environment and with suitable diagnostics, the behavior of simple mixtures of chemicals in order to determine if they could support reactivity that could result in ignition or if some other ingredient or event would be necessary. There is a significant amount of uncertainty into the exact composition of the barrel; a limited sub-set of known components was identified, reviewed with Technical Assessment Team (TAT) members, and used in these tests. This set of experiments was intended to provide a framework to postulate realistic, data-supportedmore » hypotheses for processes that occur in a “68660-like” configuration, not definitively prove what actually occurred in 68660.« less

Authors:
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)
OSTI Identifier:
1178112
Report Number(s):
SAND2015-0866R
DOE Contract Number:
AC04-94AL85000
Resource Type:
Technical Report
Resource Relation:
Related Information: Alternate title: Sub-scale Drum Test Memo
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

Citation Formats

Rosenberg, David M. Small-Scale Experiments.10-gallon drum experiment summary. United States: N. p., 2015. Web. doi:10.2172/1178112.
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Rosenberg, David M. Small-Scale Experiments.10-gallon drum experiment summary. United States. doi:10.2172/1178112.
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Rosenberg, David M. Thu . "Small-Scale Experiments.10-gallon drum experiment summary". United States. doi:10.2172/1178112. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1178112.
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@article{osti_1178112,
title = {Small-Scale Experiments.10-gallon drum experiment summary},
author = {Rosenberg, David M.},
abstractNote = {A series of sub-scale (10-gallon) drum experiments were conducted to characterize the reactivity, heat generation, and gas generation of mixtures of chemicals believed to be present in the drum (68660) known to have breached in association with the radiation release event at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) on February 14, 2014, at a scale expected to be large enough to replicate the environment in that drum but small enough to be practical, safe, and cost effective. These tests were not intended to replicate all the properties of drum 68660 or the event that led to its breach, or to validate a particular hypothesis of the release event. They were intended to observe, in a controlled environment and with suitable diagnostics, the behavior of simple mixtures of chemicals in order to determine if they could support reactivity that could result in ignition or if some other ingredient or event would be necessary. There is a significant amount of uncertainty into the exact composition of the barrel; a limited sub-set of known components was identified, reviewed with Technical Assessment Team (TAT) members, and used in these tests. This set of experiments was intended to provide a framework to postulate realistic, data-supported hypotheses for processes that occur in a “68660-like” configuration, not definitively prove what actually occurred in 68660.},
doi = {10.2172/1178112},
journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Thu Feb 05 00:00:00 EST 2015},
month = {Thu Feb 05 00:00:00 EST 2015}
}
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Technical Report:
View Technical Report (1.08 MB)
DOI:  10.2172/1178112
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  • ; ; ; ...
    Brief summaries of work currently underway or completed in the period from 1 January to 31 March 1979 are presented. One describes the development and testing of small spherical charges which will be emplaced in concrete blocks in the laboratory to simulate large explosions. A second section discusses an analysis of the free-field data from the MERLIN event. The other three sections are concerned with finite difference simulations of explosion and earthquake sources. These include results from calculations of PILEDRIVER and of decoupled explosions in salt. Also is described is a fracture criterion for three-dimensional finite difference modeling of earthquakemore » faulting.« less

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  • The present study shows how the percent attenuation for low-level waste (LLW), carbon-steel 55-gallon drums (44 and 46 mil) and for transuranic (TRU) DOT Type 7A 55-gallon drums (approximately 61 mil) changes with gamma energy from 60 keV to 1400 keV. Attenuation for these drums is in the range of 5 to 15 percent at energies from 400 to 1400 keV and from 15 to 35 percent at energies from 120 to 400 keV. At 60 keV, these drums attenuate 70-80 percent of the gamma rays. Correction factors were determined in order to correct for gamma attenuation of a TRUmore » drum if a calibration is performed with a LLW drum. These correction factors increase the activities of the TRU drum by from 10 percent to 2 percent in the energy range of 165 to 1400 keV, with an increase of about 50 percent at 60 keV. Correction factors for TRU drums and for analyses without a drum were used to adjust the percent yield for frequently measured gamma rays, so that the assay libraries could be modified to provide the drum attenuation corrections.« less

  • The concentration of 15% hydrogen in air in a waste drum is used as the concentration at which the drum remains intact in the case of a deflagration. The following describes what could happen to the drum if 15% hydrogen or more in air were ignited. Table 2 of the Savannah River report WSRC-TR-90-165 ''TRU Drum Hydrogen Explosion Tests'' provides the results of tests performed in 55-gallon drums filled with hydrogen and air mixtures. The hydrogen-air mixtures were ignited by a hot-wire igniter. The results of the tests are shown in Table 1. They concluded that drums can withstand deflagrationmore » involving hydrogen concentration up to 15% hydrogen. Testing was performed at Idaho Falls and documented in a letter from RH Beers, Waste Technology Programs Division, EG&G Idaho, to CP Gertz, Radioactive Waste Technology Branch, DOE dated Sept. 29, 1983. In these tests, 55-gallon drums were filled with hydrogen-air mixtures which were ignited. The results in Table 2.2 showed that ignition for drums containing 11% and 14% hydrogen, the drum lid remained on the drum. Ignition in drum with 30% hydrogen resulted in lid loss. It is concluded from the results of these two tests that, for uncorroded drums, a 15% hydrogen in air mixture will not result in loss of drum integrity (i.e., lid remains on, walls remain intact). The drum walls however, may be thinned due to corrosion. The effect of the deflagration on thinner walls is assessed next. Assume a 15% hydrogen in air mixture exists in a drum. The pressure assuming adiabatic isochoric complete combustion (AICC) conditions is 69 psig (using the same deflagration pressure calculation method as in HNF-19492, ''Revised Hydrogen Deflagration Analysis which got 82 psig for 20% hydrogen in air).« less