Los Alamos Hot-Cell-Facility modifications for examining FFTF fuel pins

Conference · Fri Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1982

OSTI ID:6855520

Campbell, B M; Ledbetter, J M

Commissioned in 1960, the Wing 9 Hot Cell Facility at Los Alamos was recently modified to meet the needs of the 1980s. Because fuel pins from the Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF) at the Hanford Engineering Development Laboratory (HEDL) are too long for examination in the original hot cells, we modified cells to accommodate longer fuel pins and to provide other capabilities as well. For instance, the T-3 shipping cask now can be opened in an inert atmosphere that can be maintained for all nondestructive and destructive examinations of the fuel pins. The full-length pins are visually examined and photographed, the wire wrap is removed, and fission gas is sampled. After the fuel pin is cropped, a cap is seal-welded on the section containing the fuel column. This section is then transferred to other cells for gamma-scanning, radiography, profilometry, sectioning for metallography, and chemical analysis.

• Research Organization: Los Alamos National Lab., NM (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-36
• OSTI ID: 6855520
• Report Number(s): LA-UR-82-3204; CONF-821103-26; ON: DE83001980
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

42 ENGINEERING
420203* -- Engineering-- Handling Equipment & Procedures
EPITHERMAL REACTORS
EQUIPMENT
FAST REACTORS
FFTF REACTOR
FUEL ELEMENTS
FUEL PINS
GLOVEBOXES
HOT CELLS
INSPECTION
LABORATORY EQUIPMENT
LASL
LIQUID METAL COOLED REACTORS
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
RADIATION PROTECTION
REACTOR COMPONENTS
REACTORS
REMOTE HANDLING
RESEARCH AND TEST REACTORS
RESEARCH REACTORS
RETROFITTING
SHIELDING
SODIUM COOLED REACTORS
TEST REACTORS
US AEC
US DOE
US ERDA
US ORGANIZATIONS