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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Criticality Handbook: Volume I

Technical Report ·
DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/4684350· OSTI ID:4684350
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  1. Atlantic Richfield Hanford Co., Richland, WA (United States)
This Handbook was produced primarily to aid Atlantic Richfield Hanford Company employees whose work involves criticality safety considerations. Use of this book is not intended to replace final analysis of problems by a qualified criticality safety specialist, but it should permit greater freedom in preliminary studies. The mere existence of a fissile material in quantities greater than a minimum critical mass creates some finite risk that criticality will occur. This risk of criticality can be held to an acceptably low probability by imposing restrictions on the manner in which the fissile material is processed, transported, and stored. This Handbook provides guidance in such areas for the process engineer or designer in the initial steps of equipment and process design or modification prior to review by a criticality safety specialist. In addition, the Handbook combines a number of fissile material handling requirements into a single reference manual and supplements more widely recognized reference works. Because the increasing amount of experimental data permits (and sometimes demands) periodic revision of criticality parameters and because those of us in criticality safety work sometimes have peculiar ideas about what constitutes an applicable, useful or safe set of data for our own peculiar problems, we have designed the Handbook in a loose-leaf form. Thus, pages can be updated, new material added or sections rearranged to the desire of the user.
Research Organization:
Atlantic Richfield Hanford Co., Richland, WA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP); US Atomic Energy Commission (AEC)
NSA Number:
NSA-26-025006
OSTI ID:
4684350
Report Number(s):
ARH-600
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English