CSER 98-003: Criticality Safety Evaluation Report for PFP Glovebox HC-21A With Button Can Opening

Technical Report · Thu Feb 25 04:00:00 EST 1999

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/781575· OSTI ID:781575

Erickson, D. G. ^[1]

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1. Fluor Daniel Hanford, Inc., Richland, WA (United States)

Glovebox HC-21A is an enclosure where cans containing plutonium metal buttons or other plutonium bearing materials are prepared for thermal stabilization in the muffle furnaces. The Inert Atmosphere Confinement (IAC), a new feature added to Glovebox HC-21 A, allows the opening of containers suspected of containing hydrided plutonium metal. The argon atmosphere in the IAC prevents an adverse reaction between oxygen and the hydride. The hydride is then stabilized in a controlled manner to prevent glovebox over pressurization. After removal from the containers, the plutonium metal buttons or plutonium bearing materials will be placed into muffle furnace boats and then be sent to one of the muffle furnace gloveboxes for stabilization. The materials allowed to be brought into Glovebox HC-21A are limited to those with a hydrogen to fissile atom ratio (H/X) ≤ 20. Glovebox HC-21A is classified as a DRY glovebox, meaning it has no internal liquid lines, and no free liquids or solutions are allowed to be introduced. The double contingency principle states that designs shall incorporate sufficient factors of safety to require at least two unlikely, independent, and concurrent changes in process conditions before a criticality accident is possible. This criticality safety evaluation report (CSER) shows that the operations to be performed in this glovebox are safe from a criticality standpoint. No single identified event that causes criticality controls to be lost exceeded the criticality safety limit of k_eff = 0.95 (including uncertainties). Therefore, this CSER meets the requirements for a criticality analysis contained in the Hanford Site Nuclear Criticality Safety Manual, HNF-PRO-334, and meets the double contingency principle.

• Research Organization: Fluor Daniel Hanford, Inc., Richland, WA (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Environmental Management (EM); USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP)
• DOE Contract Number: AC06-96RL13200
• OSTI ID: 781575
• Report Number(s): HNF--2705-REV1; EW7002010; EW7002010
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
42 ENGINEERING
CONTAINERS
CRITICALITY
GLOVEBOXES
INERT ATMOSPHERE
MATERIALS HANDLING
Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP)
PLUTONIUM HYDRIDES
RADIATION ACCIDENTS
SAFETY ANALYSIS