Pneumatic transport system development: residuals and releases program at Westinghouse Cheswick site
Plutonium oxide and uranium oxide powders are processed within glove boxes or within confinement systems during the fabrication of mixed oxide (MOX) pellets for recycle fuel. The release of these powders to the glove box or to the confinement results in some airborne material that is deposited in the enclosure or is carried in the air streams to the effluent air filtration system. Release tests on simulated leaks in pneumatic transport equipment and release tests on simulated failures with powder blending equipment were conducted. A task to develop pneumatic transport for the movement of powders within an MOX fabrication plant has been underway at the Westinghouse Research Laboratories. While testing and evaluating selected pneumatic transport components on a full scale were in progress, it was deemed necessary that final verification of the technology would have to be performed with plutonium-bearing powders because of the marked differences in certain properties of plutonium from those of uranium oxides. A smaller was designed and constructed for the planned installation in glove boxes at the Westinghouse Plutonium Fuel Development Laboratory. However, prior to use with plutonium it was agreed that this system be set up and tested with uranium oxide powder. The test program conducted at the Westinghouse Cheswick site was divided into two major parts. The first of these examined the residuals left as a result of the pneumatic transport of nuclear fuel powders and verified the operability of this one-third scale system. The second part of the program studied the amount of powder released to the air when off-standard process procedures or maintenance operations were conducted on the pneumatic transport system. Air samplers located within the walk-in box housing the transport loop were used to measure the solids concentration in the air. From this information, the total amount of airborne powder was determined.
- Research Organization:
- Westinghouse Electric Corp., Pittsburgh, PA (USA). Nuclear Fuel Div.
- DOE Contract Number:
- EN-77-C-06-1058-002
- OSTI ID:
- 5721580
- Report Number(s):
- RPDE-79-023; TRN: 80-001885
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Research and development program for selected components of mixed oxide fuel fabrication. Quarterly progress report for period ending September 30, 1978
Research and development program for selected components of mixed oxide fuel fabrication. Quarterly progress report for the period ending December 31, 1977
Related Subjects
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
MIXED OXIDE FUEL FABRICATION PLANTS
FUNCTIONAL MODELS
MATERIALS HANDLING
RADIOACTIVITY TRANSPORT
PLUTONIUM OXIDES
PNEUMATIC TRANSPORT
REMOTE HANDLING
URANIUM OXIDES
AIR SAMPLERS
FILTERS
GLOVEBOXES
LEAKS
MAINTENANCE
POWDERS
RADIATION HAZARDS
RADIOACTIVE AEROSOLS
RADIOACTIVE EFFLUENTS
TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT
ACTINIDE COMPOUNDS
AEROSOLS
AIR POLLUTION MONITORS
CHALCOGENIDES
COLLOIDS
DISPERSIONS
FUEL FABRICATION PLANTS
HAZARDS
HEALTH HAZARDS
LABORATORY EQUIPMENT
NUCLEAR FACILITIES
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PLUTONIUM COMPOUNDS
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
SAMPLERS
SOLS
TRANSPORT
TRANSURANIUM COMPOUNDS
URANIUM COMPOUNDS
WASTES
053000* - Nuclear Fuels- Environmental Aspects
050700 - Nuclear Fuels- Fuels Production & Properties
360201 - Ceramics
Cermets
& Refractories- Preparation & Fabrication