Sprinkler Demonstrations at the Oak Ridge Y-12 Plant
- Oak Ridge Y-12 Plant (Y-12), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
The demonstrations described in this report were conducted to observe the effects of applying water from a sprinkler fire fighting system onto materials generally considered too hazardous to be exposed. Materials tested consisted of powdered uranium metal, powdered uranium hydride, powdered lithium hydride, uranium and magnesium machine turnings, and a fused salt bath. These materials were tested both inside and outside a glove box. In the case of lithium hydride, experiments were also conducted to evaluate the use of nitrogen for purging hydrogen from the glove box to prevent the buildup of explosive mixtures. Nitrogen, argon, and Met-L-X were evaluated as to their effectiveness for smothering burning lithium hydride, uranium, and magnesium machine turnings inside a glove box. A demonstration was also conducted to evaluate a detergent-argon-water high-expansion foam as a fire fighting agent for burning metal inside a glove box. Auxiliary tests were made to determine if water from a typical sprinkler system impinging on empty metal containers could disturb a safe-geometry array; another test was conducted to determine if a pile of magnesium machine turnings would burn with sufficient intensity to actuate the 286° F sprinkler heads. One test was conducted to evaluate the damage to a glove box exposed to burning oil from an external source after the fire had actuated a typical sprinkler array.
- Research Organization:
- Oak Ridge Y-12 Plant (Y-12), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- US Atomic Energy Commission (AEC)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-26
- NSA Number:
- NSA-24-031539
- OSTI ID:
- 4137107
- Report Number(s):
- Y-DA--3318
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
42 ENGINEERING
ARGON
COMBUSTION
CONTROL
COOLING
FILMS
INDUSTRY
LITHIUM HYDRIDES
MAGNESIUM
NITROGEN
POWDERS
SAFETY
SODIUM CHLORIDES
SPRAY
SPUTTERING
URANIUM
URANIUM HYDRIDES
WATER
argon
combustion
control of combustion of hazardous materials in glove boxes
fire fighting agents
fused salts
lithium hydrides
machine turnings
magnesium
nitrogen
sodium chlorides
uranium
uranium hydrides