Criticality sensitivity analysis of uranium deposits in large-diameter piping

Journal Article · Tue Dec 31 04:00:00 EST 1996 · Transactions of the American Nuclear Society

OSTI ID:436922

Elam, K R; Haire, M J; Jordan, W C ^[1]; Dahl, Sr, T L ^[2]

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1. Oak Ridge National Laboratory, TN (United States)
2. Lockheed Martin Energy Systems, Inc., Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

The former Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant (now referred to as the K-25 site) operated between 1945 and 1985 to supply the U.S. Department of Defense with enriched uranium. Throughout its operation, the gaseous diffusion process resulted in the accumulation of residual deposits of uranium along the inner surface areas of the process piping and equipment. The deposits are primarily uranyl fluoride (UO{sub 2}F{sub 2}), which formed when uranium hexafluoride (UF{sub 6}) reacted with moisture from in-leakage of air. Because many of these deposits have greater than minimum critical mass and are in an unfavorable geometry, they pose a potential nuclear criticality accident hazard. As part of the U.S. Department of Energy mission to decontaminate and decommission surplus facilities at the K-25 site, the Deposit Removal Project has been tasked with removing these deposits.

• OSTI ID: 436922
• Report Number(s): CONF-9606116--
• Journal Information: Transactions of the American Nuclear Society, Journal Name: Transactions of the American Nuclear Society Vol. 74; ISSN 0003-018X; ISSN TANSAO
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

05 NUCLEAR FUELS
42 ENGINEERING
99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS
CRITICALITY
DECOMMISSIONING
DEPOSITS
ENRICHED URANIUM
K CODES
MOISTURE
ORGDP
PIPES
REMOVAL
S CODES
SAFETY ANALYSIS
SENSITIVITY ANALYSIS
URANIUM 235
URANIUM HEXAFLUORIDE
URANYL FLUORIDES