ML19296D503

Identification of Features within Pu Fabrication Facilities Whose Failure May Have Significant Effect on Source Term

ML19296D503
Person / Time
Site:	07000025
Issue date:	02/06/1980
From:	NRC OFFICE OF NUCLEAR MATERIAL SAFETY & SAFEGUARDS (NMSS)
To:
Shared Package
ML19296D498	List: ML19296D497 ML19296D503
References
REF-PROJ-M-3 NUDOCS 8003040696
Download: ML19296D503 (13)

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NRC ANALYSIS OF THE EFf~~.T OF NATURAL PHENOMENA UPON EXISTING PLUT0NIUM PLANTS WORKING PAPER ON INCREMEllT OF ANALYSIS -- Identification of Features Within Plutonium Fabrication Facilities Whose Failure May have a Signifi-cant Effect on the Source Term Features Observed in Atomics International - Nuclear Material Develop-o ment Facility at Santa Susana, California 1.

Facility and Process Description The Atomics International Nuclear Material Development Facility (NMDF) is situated in the Nuclear Development Field Laboratory (NDFL) located in the Simi Hills of Ventura County some 23 miles from Los Angeles.

The NMDF was most recently involved in the development of a plutonium and uranium mixed carbide,(Pu + U)-C, fuel.

Figure 1 is a plan view of the 055 Building (Plu-tonium Facility), which houses the NMDF. The (Pu + U)-C process flow is shown schematically in Figure 2.

Plutonium, in the form of Pu0 p wder, is brought into the facility in 2

approved shipping containers and the inner containers removed in the open-faced hoods in room 124 (Analytical Lab). The inner containers are stored in the vault (room 131). All processing is performed in room 127 (NMDF) in gloveboxes most of which are "inerted". The glovebox arrangement is shown in Figure 3.

Gloveboxes #7, 9, 11, and 12 are not used. The process operations per-formed in the gloveboxes are shown in Table I, Inventory at Risk.

Room air is supplied via diffusers set in the ceiling along the center-line of the NMDF (see Fig. 4). Air is exhausted via 2' x 2' HEPA filters near floor icvel along the east and west walls. The exhaust is drawn up via sheet metal risers to sheet metal ducts running along the east and west walls at ceiling level.

Gases are exhausted from the gloveboxes via HEPA filters in the enclosures into ducts near the ceiling level over each glove-box line. The room and glovebox ducts are joined in room 130 just upstream of the final HEPA filter bank (see Fig. 5).

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Numbe r Ooe ra tions Pu - (c rams) U-235 Fo rm Comoounds*

Step 3

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C 40 Pellets Inspection 7

None 0

0 15 Coulometry

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<1 Crushed A,B,C Spec.

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8 Pellets C

20 Metallography 20 80 Pellets C

21 Oxygen Analysis <2

<5 U - Pu - Pt C

22 The rmog ravi-

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<400 Solidified A nalytical metric Waste Solutions Solidified in Bentonite Clay--stored Until disposed Of.

' 13 Storage of 0-360 0-1050 Pellet s C

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>A = Pu02, B = UO2, G = Mixe.1 (Pu - U; Ca rbide as 80% U-- 20% Pu.

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10 Of lesser coi cern are:

the vault which houses the greatest quantities of plutonium ir, substantial secondary containers in a. massive structure.

The open-face hood in the Analytical Lab. where shipping containers are open -- failure during the unpackaging operation could expose the inner containers to falling debris, and the sheet metal cabinets along the south wall of the fiMDF holding plastic wrapped contaminated equipment and packaged sodium.

Secondary effects that might lead to the release of the contained radio-nuclides are loss of filtration, fire, and missiles.

Loss of both stages of filtration (at the source and the final filter bank) via bypass, loss of

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filter, etc., could result in the direct release of radionuclides to the ambient atmosphere around the facility without breaching of the structure.

Without a motive force, the exchange rate is probably small. Thus. loss of

'iltration with functioning air movers (forced exhausting) would be especially undesirable.

The f4MDF contains flammable and combustible materials (see Table 2).

Methanol is a class 3 liquid *. Spray pairts can be hazardous since finely divided materials can usually be ignited more readily than the bulk material.

Spray cans fail catastrophically when heated and, if the spray is combustible, could rapidly spread the fire. Sodium oxidizes readily in air. The remaining materials are combustible or can supply fuel when heated.

If the valve on a compressed gas cylinder is broken off in a fall, the cylinder cari become a missile with considerable destructive capability. Many lA gas cylinders were observed in the NMDF during the site visit -- argon +

argan/100 ppm oxygen in a cart, 24-1A compressed air cylinders near a plastic sealer, etc. A 1A oxygen cylinder was observed along the east wall r. ear a glovebox. This cylinder is not only a potential missile but its contents increase the fire potential -- materials _that are ignited with difficulty in air ignite readily in pure oxygen.

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• A material which can be ignited at almost all normal temperatures N.

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11 TA BLE II Amounts of Combustible Materials in Room 127 Ma te rial Normal Amount Maximum Amount 500 m1~

1000 ml.

Methanol Benzene 0

0 Vacuum Oil 20 gal 20 gal.

Lapping Oil 500 ml 1000 ml Ca rbowa 0

0 Epoxy 1 qt.

2 q t.

. Kimwipe s 10 lbs.

15 lbs.

Cardboard Paper sacks PVC Sheet 100 lbs.

224 lbs.

PVC Bags 30 lbs.

40 lbs.

Spray Paint 30 oz.

40 oz.

Film O. 51b.

1. 0 lb.

Sodium 50 grams 200 grams

12 Thus the principal concerns are:

breachiog of the gloveboxes in the order given, loss of filtration resulting in a path to the ambient atmosphere e

around the 055 Building, and

= fi re.

Of lesser concern are:

the vault, e

the sheet metal storage cabinets, and e

1A gas cylinders.

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References 1.

J.B. Burnham, R.E. Skavdahl, and T.D. Chikalla.

" Plutonium Bearing Refractory Carbides", in Carbides in fluclear Energy, Vol.1 (L.E.

Russell, et al., Ed. ), fiacmillian and Co. Ltd., (London (1964).

2.

M. P.affreyman and P.E. Potter.

"The Volatility of Plutonium Carbide",

in Carbide in fluclear Energy, Vol. I (L.E. Russell, et al., Ed.),

Macmillian and Co. Ltd, London (1964).

3.

J.li. Cleveland, " Compounds of Plutonium", Ch.12 of Plutonium Hand-book. Vol.1 -(0.J. Wick, Ed.) Gordon and Beach, flew York (1967),

p. 383.

4.

R.G. Snowden, fl. Hodge, M.J. Moreton Smith, and D.B. White, "The Behavior of Carbides in Hydrogen and Oxygen", in Carbides in fluclear Energy, Vol. I (L.E. Russell, et al., Ed. ), Macmillian and Co. (Ltd.,

London (1964).

5.

flational Fire Codes, Vol. I, Flammable Liouids, Itational Fire Protec-tion Association, Boston, Mass. (1969-1970).

.