Confirming criticality safety of TRU waste with neutron measurements and risk analyses

Conference · Wed Apr 01 00:00:00 EST 1992

OSTI ID:10129350

Winn, W G; Hochel, R D

The criticality safety of {sup 239}Pu in 55-gallon drums stored in TRU waste containers (culverts) is confirmed using NDA neutron measurements and risk analyses. The neutron measurements yield a {sup 239}Pu mass and k{sub eff} for a culvert, which contains up to 14 drums. Conservative probabilistic risk analyses were developed for both drums and culverts. Overall {sup 239}Pu mass estimates are less than a calculated safety limit of 2800 g per culvert. The largest measured k{sub eff} is 0.904. The largest probability for a critical drum is 6.9 {times} 10{sup {minus}8} and that for a culvert is 1.72 {times} 10{sup {minus}7}. All examined suspect culverts, totaling 118 in number, are appraised as safe based on these observations.

• Research Organization: Westinghouse Savannah River Co., Aiken, SC (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AC09-89SR18035
• OSTI ID: 10129350
• Report Number(s): WSRC-MS-90-357-Rev.1; CONF-920308-13-Rev.1; ON: DE92009410
• Resource Relation: Conference: American Nuclear Society (ANS) topical meeting on advances in reactor physics,Charleston, SC (United States),8-11 Mar 1992; Other Information: PBD: [1992]
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
ALPHA-BEARING WASTES
CRITICALITY
SAFETY
RISK ASSESSMENT
PLUTONIUM 239
CONTAINERS
NEUTRON DETECTION
SAVANNAH RIVER PLANT
RADIOACTIVE WASTE STORAGE
STORAGE FACILITIES
054000
052000
HEALTH AND SAFETY
WASTE MANAGEMENT