A New Approach to Performing Holdup Measurements on Glove Box Exhausts

Conference · Sun Jul 28 04:00:00 EDT 1991

OSTI ID:5653778

Glick, J. Bruce ^[1]; Haas, Francis X. ^[1]; Garrett, Albert G. ^[1]; Sheppard, G. A. ^[2]; Russo, P. A. ^[2]; Miller, M. C. ^[2]; Piquette, E. C. ^[2]; Wenz, T. R. ^[2]

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1. EG and G Rocky Flats, Inc., Golden, CO (United States)
2. Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

A new measurement technique has been developed for quantifying plutonium holdup in process glove box exhausts. This technique has been implemented at Rocky Flats with a shielded, collimated bismuth germanate (BGO) gamma-ray detector. Measurements along the duct are made in pairs. The detector is positioned for an upward view of the deposit from two inches below the duct, and for a downward view from two inches above it. The plutonium is assumed to be uniformly deposited in the bottom of the duct and to fill the detector's field of view when it is in the lower position. A model has been developed that relates the deposit width to the ratio of the count rates measured at two positions, above and below the duct. Once a deposit width has been deduced, it is multiplied by the area-source assay result from the bottom measurement to yield a mass-per-unit-length at that duct location. Total plutonium (PU) mass is them determined by multiplying the duct length by the average of the mass-per-unit-length assays performed along the duct. The technique's applicability is presented in a comparison of field measurement data to analysis results on material removed from the ducts.

• Research Organization: EG and G Rocky Flats, Inc., Golden, CO (United States); Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP)
• DOE Contract Number: AC34-90DP62349
• OSTI ID: 5653778
• Report Number(s): RFP--4464; CONF-910774--60; ON: DE91015987
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

055001* -- Nuclear Fuels-- Safeguards
Inspection
& Accountability-- Technical Aspects
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
42 ENGINEERING
420203 -- Engineering-- Handling Equipment & Procedures
440103 -- Radiation Instrumentation-- Nuclear Spectroscopic Instrumentation
46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
98 NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT, SAFEGUARDS, AND PHYSICAL PROTECTION
ACTINIDES
BGO DETECTORS
BISMUTH COMPOUNDS
BISMUTH GERMANATES
CALIBRATION
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
CRITICALITY
DATA ACQUISITION
DATA ANALYSIS
DETECTION
DUCTS
ELEMENTS
EQUIPMENT
EXHAUST SYSTEMS
FIELD TESTS
GAMMA DETECTION
GERMANATES
GERMANIUM COMPOUNDS
GLOVEBOXES
LABORATORY EQUIPMENT
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
METALS
Measurement Technique
Measurements
NONDESTRUCTIVE ANALYSIS
Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP)
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PERFORMANCE
PLUTONIUM
PORTABLE EQUIPMENT
RADIATION DETECTION
RADIATION DETECTORS
SAFEGUARDS
SAFETY
SCINTILLATION COUNTERS
SOLID SCINTILLATION DETECTORS
TESTING
TRANSURANIUM ELEMENTS