legacy tritium storage bed disposal: campaign …...introduction to ti tradebe inutec are based on a...

© British Crown Owned Copyright 2016/AWE

Legacy Tritium Storage Bed Disposal:

Campaign Summary

Tritium Focus Group Meeting, October 2016

Dr Dario C. Castiglione

[email protected]

This document is of United Kingdom origin and contains proprietary

information which is the property of the Secretary of State for Defence.

It is furnished in confidence and may not be copied, used or disclosed

in whole or in part without prior written consent of Defence Intellectual

Property Rights DGDCDIPR-PL - Ministry of Defence, Abbey Wood,

Bristol, BS34 8JH, England.”


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AWE

Tritium Technology

Frontline Workers

Facility Engineering

Uranium and Tritium

Chemistry

Facility Management

Tritium Technology

Tritium Accountancy

Tritium Analysis

Legacy Management

Tritium Technology


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AWE has a history of

working with tritium

dating back to the 1960’s

Fundamental tritium-

materials research and 1H/2D/3T isotope effects

AWE set up and ran the

UK Tritium Users Group

from 2003-2014

An old tritium research

facility (pictured) prior to

decommissioning

Tritium @ AWE


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A purpose built science facility with consent to operate from NII (now the ONR) Dec 2002

Undertakes work on tritium programmes in support of CASD

Key Design Features Distributive Control System to monitor

plant condition

Monitoring of workspace, containments and discharges

Remotely operated process lines

HVAC system

Inert gas gloveboxes

Gas Clean Up Plant

Also houses legacy tritium items from other facilities

Tritium @ AWE


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Depleted uranium-based solid storage Finely divided DU provides high surface area (but is pyrophoric)

Highly reactive with hydrogen isotopes → UQ3

Tritiated steel and other materials

Legacy Examples – Tritium Storage Beds


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BAT Assessment and MoD approval

Best Available Technique recommendation to dispose of these via specialist RA waste contractor – Tradebe Inutec (Magnox Winfrith Site)

MoD was petitioned by AWE to dispose of 219 items containing 24.265 kg DU and estimated 3H activity of 72.8 TBq

Subsequently identified 9 additional items, included in the BAT assessment (228, 25.750 kg DU, 77.25 TBq 3H)

A further 8 items were reclassified as waste late in the contract and, subject to being in scope, would also be disposed of (236, 26.502 kg DU, 77.25 TBq 3H)


Introduction to TI

Tradebe Inutec are based on a Nuclear Licensed site at Winfrith, Dorset, UK

35 year history originally as part of UKAEA

TI have been treating TSBs for over 20 years and provide the only service of this type in Europe

Other tritium-based work; washing and detritiation of reactor desiccants, detritiation of mercury, thermal detritiation of metals and incineration of tritiated soft wastes

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AWE-Tradebe Inutec Contract

Disposition contract including capability development costs

Planning since 2011/12, work commenced in 2013

Six proposed shipments

Estimated processing time by the contractor after shipping was 12 months (but allowed 18-24 months to complete)

Safety/activity limits for the items

Offgassing rate/headspace limits

Photos reproduced with kind permission of Tradebe Inutec


Schematic of the capability

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Preparation Detritiation Passivation Oxidation Sampling Analysis Encapsulation Disposal

Schematic reproduced with kind permission of Tradebe Inutec


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Major Challenges

Every item required assay Some were too active to send (>0.01g or >0.01g + >15TBq)

Shipping container validation TI supplied IP-2 containers but they also needed AWE validation –

quicker than certifying a completely new container

Regulatory and legislative DG Transport, RA consigning, waste compliance, health physics –

cross company support was invaluable

Operational Restrictions and Safety Case uplift Restricted operations for ca 1 year after successful Shipment 1

During this time all processes were thoroughly reviewed

AWE still had to pay maintenance costs during the hiatus

Significant effort to return to fully operational status


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Major Challenges (cont.)

Lots of similar items but a few very quirky ones too Suspected breached container

Confirmed breached containers

Glass (some broken)

Suspected asbestos

Too big to fit in calorimetry/shipping containers

Each shipment required independent safe method of work Confidence, technical competence, processes optimised – it got

simultaneously easier and harder the more work we did

Time frames were tight Shipment 6 was spilt into 6a and 6b to allow for more pre-packing

preparation works

AWE >> Pressure to deliver! << Tradebe Inutec


TSB Preparation Flowsheet

Identify TSB in glovebox and

confirm estimate legacy inventory

Remove TSB from glovebox

Allow to off-gas

Surface decontamination to

<4 Bq cm-1

Transfer to calorimetry container

(check off-gassing rate if required)

Perform assay by calorimetry

Update legacy database with

confirmed inventory

Transfer to fume cupboard for further

off-gassingPack for shipment

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TSB preparation examples

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Packing for Shipment


Tradebe Inutec Receipt Results

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TSB numberTAM reading MBq

m-3

Al Bag

TAM reading MBq m-3

Blue

can

TAM reading MBq m-3

Black

Drum

AWE/206 439.8 0.9

AWE/207 1.2

AWE/208 - 7.62

25.3

AWE/209 -

14

AWE/210 -

AWE/211 -

AWE/212 -

AWE/213 -

AWE/214 -

AWE/215 25.2 1.2

0.9AWE/216 14.91.2

AWE/217 20.3

AWE/218 0.1

0.2

1.6

AWE/219 0.1

AWE/220 0.1

AWE/221 0.1

0.2AWE/222 0.1

AWE/223 0.1

AWE/224 0.1

AWE/225 - 0.1 In Blue can only

Data reproduced with kind permission of Tradebe Inutec


Tradebe Inutec process improvements

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Single heater unit to 10 heater unit

Manually controlled to automated

Housed in single fume hood to purpose built fully abated containment

Plant can now treat up to 10 TSBs concurrently, operate 24/7, automated oxidation and fully abated for tritium

OLD NEW

Photos reproduced with kind permission of Tradebe Inutec


Tradebe Inutec processing experience

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Item Number Total Measured Tritium Activity (Bq)

TS

Bs

Re-o

rdere

d fo

r Pro

ces

sin

g

Item Number Total Tritium Thermally Removed (Bq) Residual 3H in Depleted Uranium (Bq) Residual 3H in Steel Shell (Bq)

AWE001

<5.50E+11 (LOD)

AWE001

3.94E+10

2.08E+06 8.21E+07

AWE002 AWE002 2.64E+06 8.25E+07

AWE003 AWE003 1.62E+06 8.10E+07

AWE004 AWE004 2.08E+06 8.66E+07

AWE005

<5.50E+11 (LOD)

AWE005

7.08E+10

2.20E+06 2.80E+06

AWE006 AWE006 1.20E+06 2.76E+06

AWE007 AWE007 1.80E+06 2.78E+06

AWE008 AWE008 2.50E+06 2.70E+06

AWE009

6.21E+11

AWE014 2.10E+06 2.75E+06

AWE010 AWE009

1.32E+10

2.70E+05 2.81E+06

AWE011 AWE010 1.70E+06 2.90E+06

AWE012 AWE011 1.80E+06 2.74E+06

AWE013 AWE012 2.00E+06 2.82E+06

AWE014 AWE013 6.90E+05 2.76E+06

AWE015 AWE015

3.12E+10

1.08E+06 9.30E+05

AWE016 AWE016 1.08E+06 9.50E+05

AWE017

7.25E+11

AWE017 1.08E+06 9.20E+05

AWE018 AWE018 1.08E+06 1.46E+06

AWE019 AWE019 1.08E+06 9.10E+05

AWE020 AWE021

3.06E+08

1.29E+06 9.00E+03

AWE021

8.81E+11

AWE022 1.36E+06 9.00E+03

AWE022 AWE023 1.41E+06 9.00E+03

AWE023 AWE024 1.30E+06 9.00E+03

AWE024 AWE025 1.25E+06 8.00E+03

AWE025

1.13E+12

AWE020

1.59E+12

1.08E+06 9.10E+05

AWE026 AWE026 1.08E+06 4.00E+05

AWE027 AWE027 1.08E+06 7.60E+05

AWE028 AWE028 1.08E+06 7.30E+05

AWE029 AWE029 1.08E+06 8.10E+05

AWE030 AWE030

4.18E+11

4.58E+05 4.61E+06

AWE031 AWE031 4.58E+05 4.96E+06

AWE032 AWE032 4.58E+05 5.07E+06

AWE033

7.60E+11

AWE033 4.58E+05 4.87E+06

AWE034 AWE034 4.58E+05 5.89E+06

AWE035 AWE035

4.62E+11

7.50E+05 1.05E+06

AWE036 AWE036 4.80E+05 8.00E+05

AWE037 AWE037 6.70E+05 4.95E+07

AWE038 AWE038 2.31E+06 3.27E+08

AWE039 AWE039 4.80E+05 3.62E+06

AWE040 AWE040 3.55E+08 4.50E+05 1.64E+08

Total 5.22E+12 Totals 2.63E+12 5.06E+07 9.42E+08

Data reproduced with kind permission of Tradebe Inutec


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Major Achievements

MoD initially gave permission for the disposal of 219

legacy assets containing 24.265 kg DU and an estimated

72.8 TBq 3H

Through agreement with MoD we have disposed of more

items and more DU (225 and 24.552 kg respectively)

whilst retaining a greater amount of the asset of interest by

only disposing of 55.66 TBq 3H

Reduced facility fire loading with respect to legacy

pyrophoric DU

Completed in 18 months (not counting the hiatus)

Costs within budget over project duration.


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Future Work

Tritiated targets BAT assessment to support disposal via Tradebe Inutec

11 TSB’s remain Remove the tritium and sentence the remaining waste

An enduring legacy programme to tackle the remaining items Molecular sieve and their containers

‘Cleaning’ of tritium contaminated He-3

Tritiated plastics and rubbers

Legacy containers and their contents

Other special interest materials

The capability could be utilised for future waste streams as programmes develop


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End Result

Questions?


Thanks to everyone involved!

Tritium Technology – Dario Castiglione, Chris Knott, Bryan Garney, Josh Mancey, Tony Provenzano, Malcolm Pizey, Damaris Roffey (and formerly

Aaron Roffey, Martin Venn, Scott Bazley and Steve Kitching)

Frontline Workers – Chris Farmer, Victoria Stanbridge, Tom

Holmes (and formerly Tom Ledran)

Uranium and Tritium Chemistry –Nicki Fletcher, Jon Northall, John

Knowles and Dave Pezet

Facility Management– Russell Garman, Brian Breslin, Paul Pounder (and formerly Paul

Lonsdale)

Facility Engineering – Andy Piper, Charlie Butfoy, Paul

James (and formerly Gerry Fay)

Environmental Monitoring and Work Control – Karl Clifford (and formerly Janet Cross and Mick

Quane)

Health Physics – Alan Murfitt, Richard Goss, Pauline Cripps, Dave Oxlade, Ashley Clarke,

Carol Ferneyhough, Jim Cronogue, Julie Grant

Nuclear Materials Management –John Bailey, Alan Bremner,

Dominic Brown, Malcolm Sawyer, John Castle, Andrew

Nichols, John Harvey, Roy Wake, Jim Brook

Environment, Safety and Health – Steve Bucksey and Angie

Anfield

Programme – Rob Sibley, Richard Bourne, Heather

Krauesslar

MoD – Stephen WelchSupply Chain Management–

Simon Round and Justin HearnWaste Services – Paul Langham,

Rachel Tott and Steph JonesEnvironmental – Jemma Hepworth, Tom Hibbert

Logistics and Transport – Sally Weedon and her group, Tim

Denning, Simon Lister and all the drivers

Containers Group – Chris Bates, Zia Shaikh, Marek Rarok

Safety Case – Jennie Costello, Adam Swales

Tradebe Inutec – Andy Anderson, Andy Bland, Will

Kelly, Jimi Moore, Mike Twissell

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Bryan Garney

Particular thanks to

our Principal Scientist

who retired after 43 ½

years service

Bryan was

instrumental in the

legacy work and even

delayed his retirement

to see this programme

through to completion

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Contact Details

For AWE

Dario C. Castiglione, Team Leader – Tritium Technology [email protected]

Chris Knott, Tritium Scientist and Legacy Specialist [email protected]

Tony Provenzano, Head of Delivery [email protected]

For TRADEBE Inutec

Andy Anderson, Head of Operations [email protected]

Andy Bland, UK Rad Waste Sales Manager [email protected]

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