Control of Nuclear Gloveboxes and Enclosures Using the No-Moving-Part Vortex Amplifier (VXA)
Conference
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OSTI ID:21294792
- AEA Technology ES. Inc., Richland, WA (United States)
This paper describes the components and operation of a no-moving-part control valve known as a Power Fluidic Vortex Amplifier (VXA). VXA's have been successfully used to control the operating environment of nuclear gloveboxes and other enclosures for over 30 years in the United Kingdom. AEA Technology ES. Inc. (AEAT) are now introducing the VXA into the US DOE Complex. Not only is the VXA capable of controlling the environment of small individual enclosures, such as gloveboxes, but it is also applicable to active facility-level ventilation systems that meet the requirements of the DNFSB's recommendation 2004-2 Revision 1. VXAs can be regarded as no moving part control dampers that regulate ventilation blower or header depressions down to a manageable level within an enclosure. VXAs are capable of reacting to perturbations such as containment breaches, hence avoiding the egress of contaminated materials into the working environment. For example, when connected to a 1.0 kPa (4'' wc) ventilation header, a working pressure of less than 0.25 kPa (1'' wc) can be maintained within the glovebox. However, if a loss of glove breach takes place, the VXA can instantaneously react to allow an ingress of air from the operator's environment sufficient to maintain a velocity of 1 ms{sup -1} at the breach. On replacement of the glove, the VXA will instantaneously return to the normal operating condition with no action required by the operator. The VXAs are not limited to the control of small enclosure ventilation systems. They are sufficiently scalable to be applied to large facility-level ventilation systems protecting suites of gloveboxes, personal access enclosures and entire facilities. The VXA and its uses are presented and discussed in this paper. (authors)
- Research Organization:
- WM Symposia, 1628 E. Southern Avenue, Suite 9 - 332, Tempe, AZ 85282 (United States)
- OSTI ID:
- 21294792
- Report Number(s):
- INIS-US--09-WM-07501
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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