ML20134A492
| ML20134A492 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | 07000036 |
| Issue date: | 05/15/1959 |
| From: | MALLINCKRODT, INC. |
| To: | |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20133P730 | List:
|
| References | |
| FOIA-96-343 NUDOCS 9701280327 | |
| Download: ML20134A492 (9) | |
Text
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,,,..-..~ gw = ay lIALLIbCKRODT CHEMIGALWORKS r4cr untas or jAs A,oontsst Masu FINE CHEMICALS FOR MEOlCINAL, PHOTOGRAPHIC ot taamioo. misw vo a.
ANALYTICAL ANO INDUSTRIAL PURPOSES Io e7 l
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'd' APPLICATION F01 SPECIAL NUCIEAR MLTERIAL LICEN Mallinckrodt Chemical Works, incorporated in the State of i
t Louis 7, f
Missouri and havLng its principal office at 3600 North Second Stre 1)
Applicant 1
nt's principal officers (all f
f The names, addresses and citizenship of applic:
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of whom are U. S. Citizens) are as follows:
J Edvard Mallinckrodt, Chairman of Boardy
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Charlton MacVeagh, Vice Chairman of Board and Trea Joeoph Fistere, President, f
f Harold E. Thayer, Vice-President, n-John R. Ruhoff, Vice-President The applicant is not owned or controlled, directly or indirect any alien, foreign coperation or foreign Government, td f
The activity for which the special nucIsar material license is re Applicant intends to process i
2)is W production of enriched uranium dioxide.specia i
ts of l
its customers.
The activity is to be performed at a new plant under construc Missouri by the applicant located near the Village of Hamatite,. Missou fferson County, R$ghway Route 21-1 apprnvi=ately 5 miles vest of Festus in Je i
The MLasouri and apprminately 40 miles from th i
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$s safe' The plant is being designed se, that batch sises of less than 'a amognts for W specified enrinh==nt will be used.
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of designed into h plant by using, where possible, Salways safo t
thkn one tanks and ohr equipment, by use of spacing devises to proven mo t i ls of bctch being placed inneediately adfasant to d r the t l the movement control of an inspector whose main function vill be to con re -t until it is s of each batch of material from its arrival at the plan MlileC021 the Estr.
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0 The initial processing operation under the license herein applie d for for the Westinghouse Electric Corporation to be' used is the production of UO2 The re-in the preparation of fuel elements for the Belgian Thermal Resctor.
ferences in the following paragraphs of this appliestion to amounts of special l
nuclear materials, enrichments, deliveries, operating losses, batch sizes, etc.,
to Westinghouse for the BTR, j
are in connection with the supply of enriched UO22 of higher enrichment than requ In the event the applicant supplies UO j
the present Westinghouse order or makes material changes in the processing oper 1
tions described herein, it will apply for any necessary amendment to the license i
granted pursuant to this application.
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This license is requested for a period of five years.
As stated previously, spplicant proposes to convert W6 of any enrichment In general, applicant will process material J
4) to UQ2 of the same enrichment.
allocated to prime users who in turn, will furnish material to applicant in f
Thus, quantitr and en-enrichment and quantity they desire to be processed.
rJchpent can not be specified in advance of specific orders from prime. users.
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Normally, iETs'ixpected Diat 6 saierial id11 be received in the form of
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W6 In the case of & material for the Belgian Thermal Reactor, it is pre-i 6 of 4 to 5% enrichment will be si. plied to sently planned that sufficient W applicant by Westinghouse to permit the production of 6,0 2
The batch sizes and procedures described later in this applica-UO.
2 tion are intended to cover the processing of material enriched up to ?$ in Westinghouse.
U 35 since this was the marin== enrichment specified by Usstinghouse at the j
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time it was necessary to freese plant design.
i The first shijument of special material for the BTR is desired em or about hly 1,1956 and all shisments of enriched W6 for this order de to be oemplet 5) l Requests for the delivery of the usterial from the j
en or about October 1, 1956.
Cosmission will be made by Westinghouse, although it is presently planned that j
the material will be delivered into Mal 11ackrodt8s custo j
a faeilities.
product will be transferred to the Westinghouse Electric Corporation as soon as it is produced and analysed.
App}icant has operated uranium refining and processing 6) problems associated with purity, toxicity and value of the material require than 12 years.
rigid control from the technical health, safety and accountability standpo As a result, the applicant has a 3mrge reserve of tee ials.
The primeipal teohnical staff===hes, involved in carrying out the work covered by this license; application all have esperienee processing.
technical staff members follows:
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Frederick M. T +1more B.S. (in Chemistry); B.S.E.
(Che:tical Engineering), University of Virginia.
Nineteen years experience in chemical industry in research, development, production and management, of which more than 13 years were in the field of Six years with du Pont as chemist and chemical engineer leav-atomic energy.
Tetra Ethyl Lead Plant in 1943 ing position as Assistant Technical Director.From 1943 to 1954 was employed in to join newly organized knhattan Project.
various capacities by the Menhattan District and the Atomic Energy Conaission Re-in connection with the production of uranium metal and uranium compounds.
signed as Deputy knsger, New York Operations Office in 1954 to return to pri-Now Special Assistant to the President of Hallinckrodt and in vate industry.
charge of the Special Metals Division which includes Hallinckrodt's commercial uranium activities.
W. M. Imaders B.S., (121o University, and Ph.D., Mass. Inst. of Tech., (in Chemistry). 8 years experience in research, pilot plant and production of edible and inedible fat and oil products. 3 years at Oak Ridge in research-pilot plant on isotope separation and other types of uranium purification processes, including solvent 5 years with Uranium Division of Hallinckrodt in charge extraction and distillation.
Now of process development relating to all phases of uranium metal production.
Technical Assistant in the Special Metals Division.
G. V. Tompkin B.S. - Ph.D. (Chemistry) University of Colorado - 1 year teaching experience in Radio Chemistry, at University of Colorado. 5 years industrial research and Currently in charge of pilot plant producing uran-development at Mallinckrodt.
iam dioxide from uranium hexafluoride as prototype material for commercial reactor evaluation.
D. E. Rhodes 5 years experience in Uranium B.S. - M.S. (Chemistry) University of Be' caska.
Division of Mallinckrodt in research and developent on all phases of normal uranium production.
J. A. Rode Ityearsresearchonhydrogen B. S. (Chemical Engineering) - University of Texas.3 years in process developent wit and bromine at University of Texas.
Division on problems associated with uranium metal manufacturing.
G. C. Beakens St. Ieuis University. 3 years with Mallinekordt in laboratory B. S. (Chemistry) and development work in connection with extraction and. purification 6f uranium from crude coneontrates.. Currently acting as shift supervisor of pilot plant producing uranium dioxide from uranium hexafluoride.
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General equipment and facilities to be utilized by applicant to protect health and minimize danger to life and property are as follows:
Separate " clean" and " dirty" locker facilities Showers Protective Clothing Iaundry facilities Film Badges Survey Neters Room monitors sensitive to gamma radiation connected to alarm system Air Filters Air Samplers Vacuum Cleaning System Dry boxes for handling all uranium containing material of dusty nature Hoods for use in bandling UF6 "Always safe" diameter cylinders for UF6 received from AEC.
"Alveys safe" diameter containers for packing UO2 Product.
" Bird cages" for use in transporting and storing UF6 and UO.
2 Storage facilities for UF6 and UO2 separate from each other and from other buildings. Separate storage facilities vill also be provided for each enrichment handled at any one time.
Separate processing facilities for each enrichment bandled at any one time.
Design of process equipment to conform insofar as possible to 'always safe" geometry or to contain no more than "always safe" quantities of the enrichment being processed.
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The operating procedures for the plant are based on providing maximum safety to operating personnel, other employees and to the public. In general, these procedures are cet up to prevent criticality and exposure to radio-active or toxic materials as well ca to protect against the more common industrial hazards. Details of the processing methods are given in the attached Appendix I which is classified " Company Confidential".
to be processed in this facility will be packaged in 7 as v A n enriched UF6 "always safe" diameter cylinders by the A.E.C. Contractor from whom it is obtained, and each cylinder win be placed in a " bird cage" before it is loaded on applicant's truck. The " bird cages" are the applicant's property and their design has been based on discussions with Dr. A. Dixon Calliban at Oak Ridge.
The " bird cages" (two are shown with cylinders in W111nchrodt sketch 5831 attached) are so designed that a spacing of two feet will be maintained between cylinders.
UF6 cylinders placed in " bird cages" will be transported from the A.E.C.
site of origin to the plant at Hematite, Missouri, in applicant's truck or a truck leased for the purpose. A "Q" cleared technically trained employee of the appli-cant will accompany each shipment. Upon arrival at the plant, the cylinders of UF6 vin be placed in a concrete block storage vault. The cylinders vill remain in the " bird cages" in storage and no cylinder vill be removed from its " bird cage" until it is introduced into the manufacturing process under strict control of techni-cally trained supervisors.
Uranium hexafluoride of only one enrichment level vill be stored in a single storage vault, and no other material vill be stored with the UF. Een 6
more than one enrichment is being processed at one time, a separate storage vault vin be provided for UF6 of each different enrichment. The storage vaults win be under the control of the technical supervisor who win be responsible for a n material movement from the time it reaches the plant until it is shipped.
As stated above, UF6 cylinders vin be stored in " bird cages" in the storage vault until required in the process. Operators vill be requin d to ob-tain approval from the technical supervisor before moving a cylinder (stin in its " bird cage") to the operating floor. When a new cylinder is brought to the hood housing the first step in the process, it vin then be removed fra its "Lird cage" for the first time ard placed in its proper place in the hood. The empty cylinderremove frost the hood win be placed in the now empty " bird cage" where it will remain un-til the empty cylinder is returned to the 1.E.C. and a full cylinder placed in the cage for delivery to the Hematite plant.
Details of the processing operation have been given in Appendix I.
An operations iniclving toxic materials win be carried out in hoods ordry boxes.
In general, vet operations vin be in hoods and those in which radioactive dust might be generated win be in dry boxes. Operations win be on a batekf basis and tf 2 or 802 equivalent. ', $tluipme9 $.s each batch vill be limited to 14 pounds of UO sised to hold no more than this quantity exespt where it has been ypisible to de' sign the equipment to 'always, safe" dimensions..Intheletterevent,[ app 14canthasused 5" as maatum diameter and 4' as==M==
thickness depending on the type of equip-ment involved.
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d At the empletion of the processing operations the UO vill be packaged 2
in 11.# batches in polyethylene bottles slightly less than 5" in diameter. Three l
of these "k1 ways safe" bottles will be placed in a specially designed" bird cage" one bottle on top of another, but each separately supported, to form a discontinu-The UO win be stored in the " bird eages" in a j
ous cylinder 5" in diameter.
2 product storege vault similar to, but completely separate from the vault in which l
the inenming UF6 willbe stored.Upon accunnhtion of a lot, the UO will be shipped 2
in the " bird cages" to the user on a truck owned or leased by applicant.
4, Ir. the preceding paragraphs, some of the procedures for transporting, stor-ing and processing the enriched materials have been outlined. Numerous other procedures will be in effect in the plant to protectissith and minimise danger to life or property. Some of these procedures are included in the outline of the pro-l grams for health control, material control and criticality control which follows:
i Health Control 1
- 1) All employees will be thoroughly screened prior to employment on l
this work to determine that they are in top physical shape, have no notice-able lung defects as detected by x-ray, have no detectable urinary albumin, f
and have normal blood count.
- 2) A quarterly check for blood count and urine analyses on an employ-4 l
eos win be made' regardless of their work activities at this plant, and more frequent checks will be made if it is suspected ht a man has been esposed j
to large concentrations of uranium dust or if him radiation film badge indicates" i
i high radiation dosages.
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- 3) Radiation film badges for detecting radiation will be supplied to all employees and developed on a biweekly basis to determine their body ex-t l
posure.
- 4) For employees operating dry bozes, a wrist type film badge win also be used to determine radiation exposure to hands and forearms. These badges win also be developed on a biweekly basis. It is contemplated at 1
the present time that Nuclear' Serporation of Ameries, which has a St. Ieuis plant, will be the supplier of film badge servies.
- 5) 'A semplete annual physical eheckup of an employees win be givoa whiek will isolado chest x-rays.
- 6) The teelmiieal and supervisory personnel win an be trained la
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sinds first-aid and a dispensary. ecstaining first-sid' equipasst win he ava st Esmatite. It is met seatemplated that s'fulltish nurse will be l;
av=4hW Let the Flant at the present t$ne but win bef added when employment 1
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- 7) Personnel Safgty - The basards,that wil1~have-to be provided against i
'I at the Esmatite Plant are primarily -
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Possibility of HP generation through the hydrolysis of UF6' 2
A$rkerne uranium dust.<
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An hydrolyses operttions will be carried out under hoods. These hoods will be exhausted to the atmosphere through wet scrubbers to stop the accidental dispersal of HF fumes into the surrounding atmosphere.
b)
For additional protection of the men operating this hydrolysis equipment, it will be standard procedure for the Chief Operator to wear a polyethylene suit designed for work around H7 and the Assistant Operator to wear face mask and apron while assisting in the hydrolysis operation.
c)
The remaining operations in the preparation of UO will be essenti-2 elly dry processes. The operators win be required tomar standard dust respirators while performing operations and handling product throughout the line.
d)
All points that may be dust generating win be surrounded by local air pickup to minimize the general atmospheric dust harden.
e)
Extreme dust operations, such as grinding or transfer of dry mater-ial from one tray to another and packaging will be performed in dust hoods to localize airborne dust and simplify the ventilation pro-blems for the general manufacturing. area.
f)
Air supply to the room will be filtered and cooled to maintain ecafortable working conditions.
g)
Perdodicdustsamplesofthegeneralroomatmospherevillbe taken by a representative of the Health Physics Department to determine the actual airborne dust as well as the ' localised dust generation. If it is found that any operation is producing more than the desired amount of dust, additional precautions and/or changes in design will be undertaken immediately.
h)
The Health Physics Department win also make periodic checks of the airborne dust contamination down-wind from the plant to determine stack losses.
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Health Physics monitors win also check the ;;round around the plant site on a periodic basis to determine what, if any, fallout is occurring as a result of stack losses.
Material Control In order to comply with 1.E.C. health recommendations for both air and preeautions win be taken to minimise stack losses' and the soluble u stream contamination, and because of the high value of the material,ranin=
earried in our waste water. To accomplish these. purposes, the following is planmad 1.
An hydrolysis hoods win be vented through wet scrubbers, pro %bly of the Roto 41one variety. That reason for this is two-folds If there is an uranium hext. fluoride leak, the gas win hydrolyze a) instantly on contact with air to form HF and fine airborne UO F -
22 These materials are both extremely water soluble and win be M'
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__ 4, effectively recovered by using a Roto-Clone. This will prevent ponution and material losses from the plant, b)
All dust operations vill be exhausted through high efficiency dust collectors, either of the wool bag type or of the disposable pad type such as designed by the Chemical Warfare Service. Both of these filters are efficient in excess of 991 and permit simple re-covery procedures to be used to recover and recycle the dust collec-ted.
An air to the building vill be filtered prior to admission to reduce the dust load on the dust conectors.
2.
Au plant effluents will be treated in one of two ways:
a)
If the value of the uranium is less than $200.00/lb., it is planned that the water vill be precipitated by lime addition to precipitate uranium and fluoride values, filtered, and the filtrate tested prior to dumping to the streams. The cake vin be stored for recovery.
b)
In the case of higher value material in excess of $200.00/lb.,
vaste waters containing this material vill be evaporated to
, dryness to simplify the recovery process. Steam from the evaporators win probably be condensed and used as makeup water in the plant.
These provisions are planned to insure that applicant does not contaminate either the surrounding atmosphere or the streams into which effluent is discharged.
Criticality Control To prevent the assembly of a critical mass, following safety precautions are being adopted:
Incoming uranium hexafluoride of assay in excess of 4lC U 35 vin 2
1) be received in "alvsys safe' cylinder sjne TM= A-t' glinder[,[
that is used to transfer.___,,
7 UF6 from the diffusion
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s, plants. Its dimensions are essentiany 5 in. insid, diensiar by 30 in. length and vill hold 55 lbs. of UF -
6 Dr. A. D. Canihan, of Oak Ridge, has been contacted focadvice in proper spacing of these cylinders to insure an 'always safe'.
geom 6try. On Dr. Calliban's advice, applicant win maintain a mini-zum of 2-ft. spacing between cylinders during shipsent and storage through the use of
- bird cages" as previously stated.
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