Remote Equipment Development for the Plutonium Ceramification Test Facility at LLNL

Conference · Fri Jan 05 04:00:00 EST 2001

OSTI ID:773131

Peterson, K D

The Plutonium Immobilization Plant will immobilize legacy nuclear materials in a ceramic material in the form of ''pucks'' and prepare it for permanent disposal. The Plutonium Ceramification Test Facility is being built at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory to demonstrate proof-of-process with plant prototypic equipment, and will include a puck handling system to reduce operator exposure to radiation, to enhance operator safety, and to increase system throughput. Equipment has been selected and designed to meet the system requirements. The puck handling system is a custom-designed electromechanical unit that is configured to provide the required work envelope while fitting within the spatial constraints imposed by the glove box. Its work envelope is large relative to the spatial constraints in order to maximize its potential utility for non-routine operations such as recovery operations and housekeeping. A custom gripper was also designed to work within the severe spatial constraints imposed by other process equipment. A puck weighing/measuring station and a vacuum tool were also developed to meet system requirements. The equipment has undergone initial independent testing and is being installed to test its operation as part of the overall system.

• Research Organization: Savannah River Site (US)
• Sponsoring Organization: US Department of Energy (US)
• DOE Contract Number: AC09-96SR18500
• OSTI ID: 773131
• Report Number(s): WSRC-MS-2000-00916
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
CERAMICS
GLOVEBOXES
LAWRENCE LIVERMORE NATIONAL LABORATORY
PLUTONIUM
RADIOACTIVE WASTE FACILITIES
RADIOACTIVE WASTE PROCESSING
REMOTE HANDLING EQUIPMENT
TEST FACILITIES
TESTING