Tritium Recycle from Gaseous Illumination Devices

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Tritium Recycle from Gaseous Illumination Devices
Official Use Only
UCRL-PRES-234471
Robert J. Vellinger and J. Mark Mintz Lawrence
Livermore National Laboratory September 20, 2007
OFFICIAL USE ONLY This document contains
Circumvention of Statute Information. Further
dissemination authorized to U. S. Government
agencies and their contractors other requests
shall be approved by the Innovative Business and
Information Department, Lawrence Livermore
National Laboratory or higher DOE programmatic
authority.
LIMITED DISTRIBUTION NOT FOR PUBLIC
DISSEMINATION OR RELEASE UNTIL REVIEWED BY THE
LLNL OFFICE OF CLASSIFICATION AND EXPORT CONTROL
This work was performed under the auspices of the
U.S. Department of Energy by the University of
California Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory under Contract No. W-7405-Eng-48. Lawre
nce Livermore National Laboratory, P.O. Box 808,
Livermore, CA 94551
Official Use Only
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Facility History

• Opened in 1958
• Tritium RD major
• focus until 1992
• 1992 - 2002
  Downsizing, DD,
• tritium recycle, limited RD, addition of
  actinide operations
• 2002 present
• Renewed emphasis on tritium operations (NIF
  support) and tritium recycle opportunities

LLNL Tritium Facility (B331)
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B331 Interior
Offices
RMA Increment 1
RMA Increment 2
Walls Removed
Tritium recovery operations
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143
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Gas cart
Stacks Bldg.
Auxiliary Building
North
MBA 420
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New Tritium Recycle Project Brings Increased
Recycle Capabilities to B331

• Requestor Waste Management Technology Limited,
  initially AEA Technology, plc
• U.K. company
• Requested our assistance in tritium recovery from
  obsolete telephone dials
• Technical parameters
• 1.8 x 106 thin glass circular tubes mounted on
  plastic backing plates (GTLDs, see example)
• 2 5 mCi/tube tritium (in gas phase)
• Recovery methodology
• Vacuum processing environment
• GTLDs are crushed in a grinder operation
• Released tritium pumped to storage u-bed
• Contaminated residuals enter B331 LLW waste
  stream

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Project Scope

• Install 480V and 208 3-phase electrical utilities
• Install gas piping and reroute drain and
  sprinkler lines
• Install grinder unit and steel plate on floor
• Install two gate valves on grinder unit (6 and
  20)
• Install abort volume
• Install HK HEPA filters for capture of grinder
  particulates
• Install/connect vac pumps and gas
  clean-up/recovery cart
• Install electronics racks for monitoring/control
  of grinder
• Install instrumentation control wiring and
  equipment
• Conduct Management Self Assessment and RA
• Begin operational use of improved tritium
  recycling capability

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GTLDs in Storage
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GTLD Baskets
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GTLDs in Storage in the B331
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Gas Recovery Process Schematic
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Commercial Grinder Unit
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Abort Volume Line Drawing
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Hazards and Controls

• Gravity Mass Sources
• Lifting
• Motion Sources
• Mass-in-motion
• Chemical Sources
• Radioactive materials - tritium

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Safety Basis Documentation

• WFO Contract conditionally approved on September
  14, 2005
• NEPA approved on November 4, 2005
• Contract was approved, funded and project kickoff
  meeting was held on March 9, 2006
• USQ Status
• 14 point letter approved by LSO on August 25,
  2006 (LSOAMTS 060100)

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B331 Facility Interfaces

• Tritium monitors will be installed in each room
  where dials are stored or processed
• Electrical power will be provided to run
  equipment
• Ventilation will be maintained negative to the
  hallway in rooms where dials are stored
• TESA locks may be put on doors to rooms to limit
  access
• RMA yard area gate access will be maintained
  through TFM construction activity to allow
  moving/opening boxes in the yard

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Drawings and Documents

• Tritium inventory will be updated upon arrival of
  dials and then again as items are sent to LLW
• Engineering drawings will be prepared for gas
  recovery system
• B331 Work Permit will be prepared to approve this
  activity under B331 work control process
• Procedures will be written for operation of the
  grinder unit
• Activity will be added to B331 WAL
• FORR will be prepared documenting authorization
  to begin process
• OSP may be prepared to support ongoing operations

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Project Schedule

• Schedule
• We are currently installing equipment for our new
  capability in the tritium facility
• Once installation and set-up of equipment is
  completed we will conduct an internal Facility
  Operational Readiness Review (FORR)
• We expect to begin tritium recycling operations
  by 12/1/07
• We plan to complete WMT tritium recycling
  operations by 3/30/09

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Interested in Tritium Recycle/Recovery?

• Please contact us
• Rob Vellinger at vellinger1_at_llnl.gov, (925)
  422-7382, or
• Mark Mintz at mintz1_at_llnl.gov, [phone]