To facilitate disposal of transuranic (TRU) waste, Los Alamos National Laboratory designed and constructed the Size Reduction Facility (SRF) during the period 1977 to 1981. This report summarizes the engineering development, installation, and early test operations of the SRF. The facility incorporates a large stainless steel enclosure fitted with remote handling and cutting equipment to obtain an estimated 4:1 volume reduction of gloveboxes and other bulky metallic wastes

Briesmeister, A.

Harper, J.

Reich, B.

Warren, J.L.

Донцов, А. М.

DSpace at Belgorod State University

Выпускная квалификационная работа

A transuranic (TRU) Waste Size Reduction Facility (SRF) was designed and constructed at the Los Alamos National Laboratory during the period of 1977 to 1981. This paper summarizes the engineering development, installation, and early test operations of the SRF. The facility incorporates a large stainless steel enclosure fitted with remote handling and cutting equipment to obtain an estimated 4:1 volume reduction of gloveboxes and other bulky metallic wastes

UNT Digital Library

.b LA-lJR -82-742tL/\- LIr!--B2-742llEC2 012138TITLE: LOS ALAMOS TRANSURANIC WASTE SIZE REDUCTION CACIL ITYMASTERAUTHOIW: Art Bries!neisterJohnny HarperBruce ReichJohn L. WarrenSUBMITTED TO: ANS Topical Meeting on THE TREATMENT AND HANDLING OFRADIOACTIVE WASTES, APRI1. 1982, !ITCHLAND, WA.(,,w, nlulm —- . —-———.— __. ——r 1L --.——.—----A_—..Art BrlesmeisterJohnny HarperBruce ReichJohn L. UarrenLos Alams National LaboratoryLos Alaws, Men WXlcoABSTRACTA transuranic (TWJ) Uaste Size Reduction Facility ($ RF)was designed and constructed at the Los Alamo.; National Lab-oratory during the period of 1977-1981. This paper sunmnarlzesthe engineering development, Installation, and early testoperations of the SRF. The facllir.y incorporates a largestainless steel enclosure fitted with ~emote handling andcutting equipment to obtain an estimated 4:1 volume reductionof gloveboxes and other bulky metalllc wastes.I MTROCMJCTIWSince 1971, TRU solid wastes generated at Los AlamosNational Laboratory have been segregated from other wastes,specially packaged, and placed in retrievable storage tocomply with Federal requirements. At present over 5200 m3 ofTRU waste is stored at Los Alamos, almost 502 of which is madeup of large met.alllc items such as gloveboxes, processeq~ipment, ductwork, and piping. Criteria for eventualacceptance of this waste dt the Uaste Isolation Pilot Plant(ti IPP) facility include limitations on the size, weight, anddesign of waste packages. The original concept of the SRFwas developed in mid-1977 as part of the overall process ofdecontaminationjrehabl litation of an old plutoniuv processingfacility. In addition to allowing waste packaging in a propersize and type of container for the HIrP, SRF treatment reduceswaste volume and handling and dispos~! costs substantially.ENGINEERING DEVELOPMENT OF THE FACILITYBUILDING STRUCTUREThe SRF was planned to occupy an existing 12.2-m by15.2-m by 5.6-m high room available in the old plutoniumprocessing plant. Because the SRF glovebox enclosure wasdesigned to fit that room and let to bid before Los Alamosdecided a new SRF building was needed, the building was sizedto fit the enclosure.The SRF is housed in a high-bay, one-story building, witha mezzanine for mechanical equipment. The roof and themezzanine floor are of steel joists and metal decking withconcrete. Exterior walls are plastic veneer finish onpolystyrene insulation and gypsum board sheathing overstructural steel studs, while interior walls are 15.9-mm9ypSum wallboard on metal studs. Based on this overallconstruction, a TRU Inventory limit of 100 g was establishedfor the facility.An external view of the building is shown In Figure 1.Figure 2 shows the main floor plan with Inside dimensions of11.9 m by 15.5 m. Change room, shower, and toilet facilitiesare under the mezzanine.The supply and two exhaust air systems of l-m3/s capa-city, each located on the mezzanine, are synchronized tomaintain a negative pressure in the building and a negativepressure in the enclosure relative to the building interior.Each system Consists of filters, fan, and stack designed tomeet specifications In the DOE Nuclear Air Cleaning Handbook,76-21. Th~ enclosure system Is a Zone I classificat!cmrequlrlng tWO-Sti~CJem high-efficiency particul~te air (H7PA)filtration with a flame arrestor before the prefilters and theHEPA filters. Th~ high bay area IS a Zone II classificationrequlrlng single-stage HEPA filtration. Both systems have H5%efficient filters upstream of the HEPA filters and areexhausted up stacks cxtendlnq 3.7 m above the building roof.Air-sampling ports are provided. The fan motors, coupled tofluld drives, allm automatically adjusted frns to maintainthe necessary negative pressure ;elatlonshlps.The building heating and ventilating system brings Infr?i;h air through prefllters, a heat recovery unit, hag-typefilters, and a gas-fired heater. The heat recovery unit Is anair-to-air type that recovers availabl(? heat in the enclosureexhaust air. The two speed supply fan motor maintains properbuilding pressure when both exhaust fans .re on and when onlythe high bay exhaust is on. A mociu”lating gas flame in theheater maintains accurate temperature control for both highand low air-flow conditions.ENCLOSURE AND PROCESS IH16NThe SRF enclosure design Isolates a waste item sectionfor disassembly and reduction to an acceptable size forpackaging. Many size reduction techniques were consideredbefore plasma-arc cutting was chosen. Crushing and shreddingwere rejected because of excessive equipment size andmaintenance requirements. Several cutting methcds wereconsidered. Both laser and arc-saw were judged too experi-mental at that time. Gas and plasma-arc cuttlnq wereconsidered the most appropriate for the SRF Because of ease ofoperation and maintenance, cutting effectiveness, and lowercost. The best cutting process for stainless steel proved tobe the plasma-arc torch, which is simple to operate, has ahigh cutting rate, Is a proven design, and is readilyavailable. A potential drawback to this method Is theresulting metal fumes.The 9.1-m by 4.6-m by 4,6-m high enclosure is dlvldedInto four modules according to function: an airlock module, adisassembly module, a cutting module, and a packaging module(Figure 3). These modules are assembled on a base pan thatprovide? a foundation for the enclosure and a catch basin forcutting wastes. The enclosure has a stainless steel skin witha mild stepl external skeleton framework of 7.6-cm by 10-cmrectangular tubing. Each module has multiple gl~veports andwindows. Ail Interior co?ners were rounded to facilitatedecontamination.Ventilation for thl? enclosure Includes both primary andSeCOnddry air-filtration systems. The enclosure ‘)perates In anegative pressure range uf 62-498 Pa with a maximum allowablenegative pre sure of 1493 Pa. Normal air flow Is approxi-3mately 0.5 m /s, or SIX air changes per hour. Air can enterthe enclosure at any of thr’ee locations thraugh a HEPAfi Iter. The filter net wily reduces the load on downstrcdmfilters, but ,~lso protects the building fran contamination inthe event of posltlvk pressurlz~tlon of the enclosure.Vdrylng opera’:lons dictate %geclfic alr flow patternsIFigure 4). ‘(WO Inlets arc provided In the dirlock modllleone belw and one above the fair.e ceiling), and a third Inthe bagout mo(!ule. A bypdss a(r system incorporating a HEPAfilter Is provided around the inner airlock doors to allowpositive air fluw through the airlock at all times duringoperation and especially when the outer airlock doors areopen. Air exhausts through roughing filters at two ports inthe cutting mndule. During cperation, these air-flow patternsminimize migration of contamination to other modules. Asecondary internal air system in the cutting area reducessmoke and fum buildup by filtering through an electrostaticprecipitator which helps to reduce loading of the exhaustfilters in the primary air-exhaust system.The enclosure contains two categories of equipment.Manualiy operated, lightweight equipment is used primarily fordisassembly of waste. This equipment, which is operatedthrough the gloveports in the enclosure, consists of handt,ools, impact wrenches, chisels, and Saws. The remotely oper-ated heavy equipment consists of the following: a 1820.-kgcapacity bridge crane, a 2730-kg capacity positi~ning table,an electromechanical man~, ~lator, and a plasma-arc cuttingtorch. Equipment selection was based on ease of operation andmaintenance, and overall reliability. Whenever possible, allsupplementary units to the major equipment, such as powersupplies and controls, are located outside the enclosure forease of maintenance. Gloveports were positioned to enhanceequipment, maintenance.INSTALLATION OF EQUIPMENTENCLOSUREThe SRF enclosure was fabricated by Stainless Eq~ipmentCompany, Denver, Colorado, In approximately one year.Because the building was still under des+gn, completed unitswere stored until the building was occupied in August 1980.Figure 5 shows the partially assembled unit and Figure 6, thecompleted enclosure. Each unit was bolted ‘rJ the base pan andthe adjoining units. Uhen all five units were assembled, alljoints were seal welded on the inside and then grou~d andpolished.BR1D6E CRME/MANIPULATORConstruction of the bridqe support sterl had to procwdconcurrent with installation and assembly of the enclosure(Figure 5). Support columns are locat.~d outside the enclosurpand the rail beams and rails are Inside. The six penetrationswere sealed by “Gortite” neoprene bc,llows seals. Themanipulator, crane, and bridge assembly were fabricated byProgranmled and Remote Systems Corporation (PaR) ofMinneapolis, Minnesota. The crane is a Coffing two-ton,two-speed, wire rope drum-type. The manipulator is a modifiedPaR 3000.PLASMA-ARC CUTTING TORCHThe PCM-1OOplasma-arc cutting system from Linde Divisionof Union Carbide Corporation best suited the wed to cut thinstainless steel sheet. The unit was installed by placing itadjacent to the cutting module of the enclosure and extendingthe two power leads and two gas leads from the unit to theentry panel with 9.5-tnn copper and aeroquip tubing. The powerleads enter through a 9.5-Inn bakelite panel in the stainlesssteel entry panel. Inside the enclosure, the standard hose-and-cable assembly supplies the cutting torch.LIFT TABLEA lift table capable of 360° rotation, horizontal move-ment of 4.6 m, and vertical travel of at least 0.9 m enablesoperators t@ position waste units for manual disassemblythrough gloveports and to move them to the cutting module. Themodified lift table was made by &nerican Manufacturing Companyof Tacoma, Washington. Installation required welding a pieceof 2.5-cm by 2.5-cm stainless steel angle to the base pan ofthe enclosure for use as a track. Fewer in the form of 480-V,30-A, l-phase was brought through hermetically sealedcouplings welded into the entry panei.CLECTROSTATIC ~EcIplTAToRAn electrost tic precipitator was installed to filter and!recirculate 0.5 m /s of air within the enclosure. The unit,manufactllred by United Air Specialists of Cincinnati, Ohio, isfitted with manually controlled, pneumatic powered vibratorycleaners. The 480-V, 3-phase power is supplied through acable which is sealed at the entry panel penetration.5FACILITY COSTSThe total capital cost of the Los Alamos TRU waste SRFwas approximately $875 000 (Table 1). These funds wereexpended during the period 1978 through 1981.TEST OPERATIONSThe first tests of the cutting system began in May 19&iusing miscellaneous thin sections of stainless steel. It wasimmediately apparent that maintaining the required l.6-nEn to6.4-nmI standoff distance would be difficult with the manipu-lator. A nuschanical torch holder was developed which flexesapproximately 4 cm, allowing the torch to track along thesurface being cut.Full-scale cutting of clean stainless steel gloveboxesbegan in early October 1981. The corlductive smoke particu-late quickly shorted the collector plates in the electro-static precipitator. The roughing filters became loaded injust a few minutes. The HEPA filters plugged after about onefull day of cutting. Changing the plasma gas fran nitrogen toargon greatly reduced the smoke but then clearing the cutbecame a problem, as the manufacturer suggested it would.Fusing of the molten metal in the cut prevented reparation ofthe cut pieces. Uhen the plasm gas was changed to a mixtureof 62 hydrogen in argon, the molten metal problem improved butwas still troublesome, especially for thin metal. A furtherIncrease In the hydrogen concentration to 20% has made the cutquality adequate but not optimal.The electrostatic precipitator was purchased as a self-contained unit with Its own blower and air-operated vibratorycleaner. First It was used to circulace air within theenclosure, lndepende~t of the exhaust system. Later, theblower And motor were removed and the po~er supply andcollectors were mounted in front of the roughing filters atthe exhaust ports. All nir Ieavlng the enclosure nw passesf.hrough the preclp!tator. The vibratory cleaners have notworked well because metal fumes produced In cutting areconductive and tend to cover the collector plates with a thin,continuous coating that grounds the collectors but is notmassive enough to he v!brated loose.Rotation of the hydraulic lift table proved too rdpid andjerky for accurate positioning of the workpiece. An adjust-able flow valve obtained from the manufacturer was installedto reduce the speed.OPERATIONS MITH CONTAMINATED UASTEThe first contaminproximately 0.3 mg of$~~~hglOvebOx Processed Contained ap-Cuttlng the “sandwich” con-struction of 1.59 mm of stai~less steel, 6.35 rmn of lead, and6.35 m of stainless steel placed high stress on varioussystems. The lead hindered cutting because the PCM-1OOplasma torch does not produce enough secondary gas pressure toblow the melted lead clear of the cut. Not only were threecutting passes required to clean out the lead, but lead fumescoated the collector plates of the electrostatic precipitator,causing the same shorting problems as cutting stainless steelwi;h nitrogen gas. These problems forced the roughing filtersto again bear the brunt of prefiltering protection for theHEPA filters. The glovebox was finally reduced in volume by afactor of about 4:1.Several improvements which must be made are: (1) redesignthe roughinq filter change-out to free the electric manipu-later for its prime function of continous cutting with theplasma torch; (2) design and fabricate a variety of manualremote handling tools; and (3) protect several enclosurewindows against possible breakage during packaging.FUTUREThe SRF is an experimental production-oriented far.ility,designed to reduce the volume and permit repackaging of TRUmetallic waste items. Planned studies should providetechniques to cope with the Laboratory’s dynamic requirementsfor TRU waste reduction and packaging. tiithln the constraintsof the basic facility, modlficatiuns will be made as operatingexperience Is gained. For example, design changes in thebagout area will acconanocl~te UIPP waste storage coctaincrs.Beiore items contaminated with gram quantities of tran-suranics are processed, a final Safety Analysis Report must be7generated and approved. At full operation with a staff ofthree [one scientific and two technical) a w’:ekly process rateof two standard gloveboxes (3 m by 1.5 m by 1.5 m) reduced involume by 4:1 is expected.ACKHWLED6EWNTFunding for this project was provided by the U.S. Departmentof Energy.HTA8LE 1. FACILITY CAPITAL COSTITEM/NORKGLOVE BOX ENCLOSUREMANIPU1.ATOR/HO15T SYSTEMPLASM4 TORCHSUP90kT STEELLIFT TABLEMISC. COMPONENTSINSTALLATION, FACILITY PREP.ENG. IJESIGN SUPPORTFORKLIFTBUILDING DESIGN/CONSTRUCTIONAPPROXIMATECOST$230000126 0006 0005 0007 00020 00045 00011 00025 00!)400 000——TOTAL $875 000I ,“-’ :,. . .FIGURE1, SOUTti VJEWOF BUILDING. .-’6, ,...,‘ ,’.,.% ,:@,’F 27’-’o”--. . ..-. . .. .. .EYE WASHIIuI .II IIJI ENCLOSURE - II 1L I--—. --PROCESS ROOMII45’+’ -~DISASSEMBLYAREA ABAGOUTAREA8FIGURE3, ENCLOSURE MODULESLOAD GLOVE BOX SECTION l~TO AIRLOCK~ AJRLOCKPHASE IDISASSEMBLY AND CUTTINGOF GLOVEBOXSECTIONSLOAD GLOVE BOX SECTIONINTO DSASSEMBLYAREA+AIR LOCKBY-PASS& ‘dPHASE ?I%CKAGING AND BAGOUTOFCUT-UP GLOVEBOXREcPHASE 3FIGURE4, AIR FLOW PATTERNSPHASE 4r--”R-%,-. ..,,;.. . - “MA. ”.pa”FIGURE5, PARTIAL ASSEMBLY--ENCLOSURE.,“IIii.1-—.—- ---a... —-----~e—- - W.. -. .------.,,I●;. .“,.;“-..FIGURE b, ALMOST COMPLETE FNCLOSURE

Los Alamos transuranic waste size reduction facility

I# LA-UR -82-1283.%oTICELA-uR--&;2-l2f_l3DIZ[:2015772TITLE LOS ALAMOSTRANSUIANIC WASTESIZEREDUCTIONFACILITYAUTHORS) ART F!RI ESMEISTERJOHNNY HARPERBRUCE REICHJOHN L, IIARRENI ,... ,, .”. ,,,-,,,, ,-, ,..,,,,!.,-, I6uBMITTED TO US/Ul<II!ORKSHOPN DESIGN OF SIZE REDUCTIONANDSORTING FACILITIES, Albuquerque, NM, MAY 11-14, 1982Los Alamos National LaboratorlmAlamos,New Mexico 8754 1!4’ ‘>LOS ALAMOS TRAMSURAWIC UA5TE SIZEREDUCTll)N ‘FACILITYbyArt Brlesmelster. Johnny Harper,Bruce Reich, ●nd John L. MarrenTo facilitate disposal of transuranlc (TRU) waste, LosAlamos National Laboratory designed and constructed the SfzdReduction Facility (SRF) during the pertod 1977-1981. Thisreport summarizes the engineering development, insta”[latlon,and early test operations of the SRF. The facilityincorporates a large stainless steel enclo~ure fitted withremote handling and cutting equipment to obtetn an estimated4:1 volume reduction of glovrboxes and other bulky metallicwastes.—lBTROOUCTIOXSince 19/1, transuranic (TRU) solidwastes generctad at Los Alamos NattnnalLaboratory have been segregated fromother wastes, specially paikaged, ~ndplaced in retrievable storagn to complywith Federal requirements. At presentover 5200 m3 (184 000 ft3; of TRU wasteIs stored at LOS Alamos, almost 50g ofwhich Is made up of large metallic Itemssuch as gloveboxes, pr~ccss eq~ipment,ductwork, and piping.Criteria for cventul?l accsptancs ofthis wa?te at th? Haste Isol@tlon PilotPlant (HIPP) fac!llt.y include llmitat!onson the niza, weluht, @nd de~!gn of wautapack~gat. 1:,~ or;~inal conc~pt of theSize Reduction Facility (SRF) was de-veloped in mid-1977 as part of the over-all process of d?contamin:tion/rehabl li-tation of an old plutonlum processingfacility. In addltlon to allowinq wastepackaging in a proper size and type ofcontainer for the HIPP, SRF treatmentreduces waste volume and +andlinq anddisposal costs substantially,11. EH61NEERIM6 DEVELOPMENTFACILITYA. Build~ng Structure.—Oi THEThe SRF was planned to occupy anexisting 17,2-m (40-ft) x 15.2-m (50-ft)M 5,6-R (ltl-ft) htgh room aiallablr inthe old plllton!um processing plant,,,’.Because the SRF gloveoox enclosure wasdesigned to fit that room and let to bidbefore Los Alamos decided that a new SRFbull~lng was naeded, the building sizewas predicated on the enclosure destgn.The SRF is housed In a high-bay,one-story building, with a mezzbnine formechanical equipment. The roof and thamezzanine floor have steel joists withmetal and concrete decking. Exteriorwalls>are plastic veneer finish onpolystyrene insulation and gypsum boardsheathing over structural steel studs,while interior walls are 15.9-mm ~/8-in)gypsum wallboard on metal studs. Basedon this overall construction, a TRUinventory l!mlt of 100 g was ●stabl ishedfor the facility.An external view of the building isshown in Fig. 1. Figure 2 shows the mainfloor plan with inside dimensions ~f 11.9--m (39 ft) a 15.5m (51 1shower, &nd toilet facithe mezzanine.The supply and twot). Change room,ities are under●xhaust air sys-tems of l-m3/i (2009-cfm) capacity each,loctted on the mezzanine, are connectedto maintain a negative pressure in thebuilding and a negative pressure in theenclosure relatlv~ to the bulldlng~nterlor. Each systtm contists of fil-ttrs, f4n, and stack des!gn~d to meetsD@clficatlons in tho 00E Nuclesr AirCl@an!ng Handbook, 76-21. Th@ r!iclosuretyntem has 8 lone 1 cl~nstfichtion ru-quirlng two-stagt, high-~fficioncy par-ticulate air (HEPA) f’fl~me arrestor beforethe HEPA filters, whiltration with athe prefllters and● tha t,!gh bay areahas a zone II classlftcatlon rcqulring.single-stage HEPA flltra?lon. Bothsystems have 8$X ●fftclent filtersupstreem of the HEPA filters and areexhausted up stacks extending 3’,7 m (12ft) above the building ro@f.Air-sampling ports are provided. Fluiddrives, coupled to the fan motors,.sutomattcally ad,just the fans to ma’nta~nthe necessary negative pressurereliitlo~ships.The b~lldi!,g heating and ventilatingsystem brings in fresh air through prefilters, c heat recovery unit, baq-typef{ltcrs, and a gas-fired heater. Theheat recovery unit is an air-to-air tyoethat recovers available heat in theenclosure exhaust air, The tdo-speedsupply fan motor miiintatns properbuilding pressure when both ●xhau;t fansare on and when only the high-bhy exhaust!s on. A modulating gas flame In theheater maintains accurate tqmp?raturecontrol for both high and low atr-flowconditions.B. [nclcsure ond Process D4slgnMany size rcduct~on techfilques wereconsidered before plasma-~rc cut?.ing waschosen. Crushtng @nd shreddtng wererejectsd beca~lse they r~quired ●RC?SS!Ve●quipment fize and malnta~~n;o, Ofthe cutt!n~ methods cohsiderod, bothlaser and arc-saw were judged too“●xperimental at that time. Gas andplasma-arc cutting were considered themost appropriate” for the SRF because ofease of operation and maintenance,cutting effectiveness, and cost. Thebest cutting process for stalnlesssteclproved to be the plasmt-arc torch, whichIs simple to operate, has a high cuttingrate, IS a proven design, and Is readilyavailable, A potential drawback to th,smethod IS the result!ng metal fumes.The SRF enclosure design Isolates awaste ittw section for disassembly andreductton to an acceptable size for pack-aging. The 9,1-m (30-ft) K 4.6-m (15-ft)x 4.6-m (l!i-ft) high enclosure is dividedby function into four modules: anairlock module, a disassembly module, acutting module, and a packaging module(Fig. 3). Thtse modules are assembled ona base pan that provides a foundhtlon torthe enclosure and e catcl; basin forcutting wast~s. The enclosure has astainless steel skin with a mild steelexternal skelet,~n framework of 7.6-cm(3-4n) x 10-cm (4-tn) rectangulartubing, Each mo(lule has multipleglovcportc tnd windows. All !nterforcorners were roun(’ledto facllit~tedecontamlnat!on.The doors to \he airlock module fit’epneumatically operated through electric-ally controlled valtes. A m~nual bypasson each valve solanold allows opnratlonif building power i~ out. A cyl ’lnder ofcompressed alr automs\lcally s pplles●mergency operating air if the serviceair system falls.The bagout module hfis provisions forpackaging waste In l.?-m (4-ft) x 1.2-m(4-ft) x ?.1-m (7-ft)forced polyester (FRPboxes, 208-L (55-gal)0.3-m (1-ft) x 0.3-mfiberglass rein-coated plywooddrums, and eitherI-ft) x O’.6-m(2-ft) cardboard cartons or 114-L (30gal) drums. hhen the FRP box Is replacedby the steel box approved for trucktransport to the HIPP, the bagout moducan bc hdaptcd easily by replecing thebolt-~n seal flange assembly.The enclosure operates In a negatevepressure range of 62-498 Pa (.25-2.0 tn-ches of water) with a maximum allowablene9ative pressure of 1493 Pa (6 inches ofwater) . Normal air flow is approximately0.5 m3/s (1000 cfm) or six air changesper hour. Air entering the enclosure atany @f three locations passes thrfugh aHEPA filter, ~hl:h not only reduces th?load on downstream filters but also pr@-tects the building from cont&minetion inthe event of positive pressurization ofthe enclosure. Var~lng operations dlc-tt[? $p@r.iflc air flo.’ patterns (Fig, 4).Two inlets arr provld’module (one below andceiling) and a thirdmodul@. A bypass aird in the airlockone above the falsen the bagoutsystem incorporat -!ng a HEPP, f!lter provided around thttnner airlock doors allows positive airflow thrnugh the airlock at all timesduring operation and @specially when theouter airlock doors are open. Air ●x-hausts through roughing filters at twopGrts In the cutting module. Duringoperation, 1mize mlgratmodules. Ain the cutthese air-flow patterns mini-on of contamir,ation to othersecond~ry Internal air systemng area reduces smoke andfume buildup by filtering through anelectrostatic precipitator which helps toreduce loading of the exhaust filters inthe primary air-exhaust system.No water 1s supplied to the enclo-sure and no drains le~d from it; theentir? operation Is dry. Plumbing con-nections are available at each corner ofthe base pan to facilitate removal o+ ac-cumulated water in the event the fireprotection sprinklers are activated.A dry pipedraws its waterler s~stem provinside the sncllsprinkler system ~hichfrom the building sprink-des fire prntectlonsure. Two hand-held C02systems with nozzles mounted inside andcyllnders mount?o outside the enclosureare provided“nuisance” f’or paint.The ●nc’and remotelyly operated,for control of smallres such as burning gasketsusure C0nttin5 Doth manu~llyoperated equipment. Manual-lightweight equipment !sused primnrilv for disassembly of kast?.Thi$ ●qutpmwnt, which is operated tFroughgloveports in the enclosure, consistsof hand toul%, Impact wrenchus, chisels,and sanx, A bridge crane, poslt!oningtable, alectromechanlcal manipulator, andp!asma-arc cutting torch are all remotelyoperated.Equipment selectlon was based on easeof oper~tlor, and maintenance and overallreliability. Uhenever po~sible,supplementary units to the majorequtpment, such as power supplies andcontrols, are located outside {he●nclosure for ease of maintenance.Gloveports are poslttoned to enhanceequipment maintenance.111. EQUIPMENTA. EnclosureStainless Equipment Company, Denver,Colorado fabricated the SRF enclosure inapproximately one year. Because thebuilding was still under design,completed units Mere stored until thebuilding was occupied in August 1980,F!gure 5 shows the partially ussemb!edunit and Fig. 6, the completed●nclosure, Each unit was boltedbase pln and the adjoining unitsall flwe units were assembl?d, a’were seal welded on the inside,ground and polished._ Bridge Crane/ManipulatorBto theUhen1 jointshenConstruct Ion of the bridge supportsteel had to proceed concurrent with in-stallation and assembly of the enclosure(Fig. 5). Support columns are outsidethe enclosure, and the rail beams andrails are Inside. The six penetrationswere sealrd by GORT]TE neoprene bellowsseals. Progrtimmed and Remote SystemsCorp. (PaR) of Minneapolis, Minnesotafabricated the mssnlpul~tor, crane, andbridge assembly. The crane Is a Cofflngl@OO-kg (2-T), two-speed, wire ropedrum-type. The manipulator, a modifiedPaR 3000. has a single arm mounted at thebtse of e telescoping column. The threearm joints operate In the verttcalplanes. Two joints, the shoulder andwrist have full 360° rotation. Severaltypes 01 readtly detachable hands areaval~able. A hook at the base of thecolumn can lift 454 kg (1000 lb), whilethe grip can lift 68 kg (150 ?b).c. Plasma-Arc Cutting Torch -The PCM-1OO plasma-arc cuttingsystem from Linde Divlsior, of UnionCarbide Corporation best suited the needto cut thin stainless steel sheet. Theuntt was installed by placing the povers~pply outside the cutting module of the.- ●aclosure dnd extending the two powerleads bnd two gas leads fromthe entry panel with 9.5-mmcopper and aeroquip tubing.leadc @nter thr~ugh a 9.5-mmthe unit to3/8-in)The power(j/B-In)b~kelite panel In the stain’less steelentry panel . Inside the ●nc losure, themanufacturer’s standard hose-and-cableassembl~ s~pplies ●he ~utting torch.P. Lift TableThe 2730-kg (6000-lb) capacity hy-draultc lift tabl? is capable of 360°rotation, 0.9-m (3-ft) vertical lift, andhorlrontal travel across the enclosurealong a stainless steal track welded tothe base. It Positions waste fgr manualdisassembly and moves It to the cuttingmodule. American Manufacturing Companyof Tacoma, Ha$hington, b~!llt and modifiedthe unit. Tht hydraulic system containedIn the table base Is powered by 480-V,30-A, S+ngle-phase power supplied througha cable which passes through a doublegland-type seal in the e~try panel.Rctation of the hydraulic lift tableproved too rapid and jerky for accuratepositioning of the wo;kplece. Anadjustable flow valve obta’manufacturer was installedspeed.r . Electrostatic precipitned from theto reduce thetorAn electrostatic precipitator wasInstalled to filter and recirculate 0.5rr13/s(1!12G cfm) of alr w{thln tile enclo-sure. The unit, manufactured by UnlteclAir Specialists of Cincinnati, Ohio, isfitted with manually controlled,matic powered I49U-V, 3-phasea cable sealedpenetratiollmibratory cleanerspower Is s~ppl ledat the entry panehe precipitator bmotor were l~ter removed and thepneu-Thethrouqhower andpowersupply anti collectors were mounted infront of tne roughli}g fil*.ers At thecxllaust ports. All air ?e~vlng theenclosure ncw passes th~ougb theprecipitator. The vibratory cle>ner hasnot worked well. Metal fumes produced incuttiog are conductive and tend to coverthe collector Flates ulth a thin, con-ductive cuatlng that Is nnt ma%siveenough to be >Ibrated loose.IV. FACILITY COSTSThe total capital cost of the LosAlamos TRU waste” SRF was approximately$875 000 (Table 1). These funds wereexpended during the period ?979 through1981.v. TEST OPERATIONSThe first tests of the cutting sys-tem using miscellaneous thin sections ofstainless steel began In May 1981. Itwas Immed!fltely apparent that maintainingthe required 1.6-mm (0.06-in) to 6.4-mm(0.25-in) standoff distance would bedifficult with the manipulator. Amechanical torch holder was developedwhich flexes approximately 4 cm (1.5 in),allowlng the torch to track along thesurface betlig cut.Full-scale cutting of clean stain..less steel gloveboxes began In earlyOctober 1981. “particles quick’plhtes in the e’tor. The roughhe conductive smokey shorted the collectorectrostatlc preciplta-ng filters became ‘loadedin just a few minutes. The HEPA filtersplugged after about one full day of cut.ting. Changing the plasma gas fromnitrogen to argon greatly reduced thesmoke, but then clearlng the kerf becamea problem becailse fusing of the moltenmetal fn the kerf prevented separation ofthe cut pieces. Hhcr Lhe plasma gas wsschanged to a mixture of 6% hydrogen InArgon, the molten metal problem improvedbut wht still troublesome, ●specially forthin meta:. A further !ncraase in thehydrogen concentratl~n to 20X has madethe cut quality adequate but not optimal.Most of the waste processed at theSRF IS packaged In FRP coated plywoodboxes. To open the boxes,. the alr In thepackage Is sampled, then a cut llne Isdrawn around the box. near the top andbetween the nails. A 9.5-cm (3j8.-ln)strip of FRP Is removed with a circularsaw fitted with a carbide tipped dadocutter. Th+s procedure Is done outsidethe building because cutting FRP producesairborne glass fibers. The final cutthrough the plywood Is made inside thebuilding.A 2700-kg (6000-lb) capacityforklift truck Is used for al’ heavymaterial handling Inside the bulldinq.An adjustable boom Is added to theforklift when overhead lifting Isvequired. Rigging used outs’enclosure is nylon strap. A’chain is used inside becauseto decontaminate.de the10Y steelit is easyv]. OPERATIONS UITH CORTAMiHATED MASTEThe first contaminated glovebox pro- .cessed contained approximately 0.3 mg of239pu. Cutting the ‘sandwich” construc-tion of 1.52 mm (0.06 In) of stainlesssteel, 6.35 mm (0.2S In) of lead, hnd6.35 mm (0.25 fn) of stainless steelplaced high stress on various systems.The lsad hindered cutting bccausa thePCM-1OO plasma torch d~oc not produc~anaugh secondary gas presauro to blow th,aaltod lead clear of the cut. Mot only—.ware three cutting pass~s required toclean out the lead, but lead fumes coatedthe collector plates of the ●lectrostaticpreclplt8tor, causing theprobloms as cutting stain’nitrogen gas. These prob’roughing filters to againsame shortingess steel withems forced thebear the bruntof preflltering protection for the HEPAfilters. The glovebox was finallyreduced’ in volume by a factor of about4:1.Several improvements which must bemade are (1) to redesign the roughingfilter change-out to free the manipulatorfor Its prime function of cnntlnuouscutting zlth the plasma torch; (2) todesign end fabricate a variety of manualremote handling tools; and (3) to protectseveral ●nclosure windows againstpossible breakage during packaging.VII. FUTUREThe SRF is an experimental produc-tion-oriented facility, designed to re-duce volume and permit repackaging of TRUmetallic waste Items. Planned studiesshould provide techniques to cope withthe Laboratory’s dynamic requirements forTRU waste reduction and packaging,Uithin the constraints of the bastefaciltty, modlflcatlons will be made asop~ratlng experience Is gained. For●xample, design changes In the bagoutw1ll accommodate NIPP storage containers.BQfore items contaminated with gramquantities of transuranlcs are processed,a final Safety Analysfs Report must begenerated a,ld approved. At full opera-tion with a staff of three {one scien-tific and two technical) a weekly processrate of two standard gloveboxes [3 m (10ft) x 1.5 m (5 ft) x 1.5 h (5 ft)] re-duced In volume by 4:1 Is expected.ACKHWLED6EWERT.Funding for this project wasprovided by the U S Department ofEnergy.ITABLE 1. FACILITY CAPITAL COSTiTEM/’U(MlKGLOVE BOX ENCLOSUREMANIPULATOR/HOIST SYSTEMPLASM TORCH‘ SUPPGRT STEEL-. LIFT TABLEMISC. Cf’MPONENTSINSTALLATION, FACILITJ PREP.ENG. DESIGN SUPPORTFORKLIFTBUIL!lING DESIGN/CONSTRUCTIONAPPROXIMATECOST b$230000126 0006 0005 0007 0002000045 00011 Oo(l25 GOO400 000..-TOTAL $875 f3C0.‘--~ r-” “ “-~ ‘—---‘--., ,,,.t--27’-[0” – 1.-‘@I-im-1II I II III II1II JI I ENCLOSURE I1 III1L .-— --J-~—- 40’-0” --—FIGURE2, MAIN FLOCR PLANK1./” ;/“~CUTTING /- }. IDISASSEMBLY.FIGuRE3, ENCLOSUREVODULESL..OADG~VE BOX SECT!(JNINTO A~ AIRLOCKti. ~LL W- PASSk.; .;-...-&““ ..6:-.: ,r ‘“” ‘ ““’’”””” “r- .,+“”~“ .: .,,. ,. ..,..:..;,,.5.:,..;.-P: !ASE 1CISASSEMBLY AND CUTTINGOF GLOVEBOX SECTIONS,IRLOCKLOAD GLOVE BOX SECTIONINTO DlSASSE~13LYAREAAR LOCK$PHASE 2RMKAGING AND B4GOUT OFCUT -UP GLOVE BOXPHASE 3FIGURE 4, AIR FLOW PATTERNSPHASE 4r-’’-’=. ““--— . - --- —---- —*. ,0.~’ i“’-= “-----— —...=4“ ‘“-.—-.,.*FIGIJ?E5. ~ARTIA,L ASSEMBLY--ENCLOSURE. . ..- -—u.p.’=,: -a+ I “i.~’””,. -.. .*... ... .,,-..5 -.-> .,, ‘ ● ●-:=.::? --- .: .5:;:,.. .------ - . . —.-. — -. =~~_h ..- A.- ‘“’ =-~ “ ..*—... *$.. .2 — :-. -’L9;...-4- .’-... . A-d-FIGURE6, ALMOST COMPLETE ENCLOSUREI

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