Year
1999
Abstract
The Los Alamos Nuclear Materials Technology Division (NMT) in collaboration with Nuclear Filter Technology, Inc. [l] (a commercial supplier) has fabricated and tested new nuclear material containers. The containers are designed for daily use, safe transport within the facility, and storage up to twenty years. They are outer containers used in a layered packing configuration with the nuclear material in an inner package. These containers are not used outside the facility. The Facility has invested over a million dollars in the design, testing and procurement of these containers and has them in local stock for routine use. Los Alamos evaluated the effectiveness of the previous storage containers and found that many had safely contained nuclear material but that a limited number had failed. The results of a three-year study established the design requirements for the new containers. They must be easily opened/closed, not allow pressurization, be fabricated with 304 stainless steel, allow all nondestructive assay methods to be used, be easy to decontaminate, assure high reliability for containment, maintain a leak tight seal if dropped, and meet safeguards and criticality requirements. The containers are available in five sizes, from one to twelve quarts, and nest one into another. This paper describes the design and quality assurance requirements and the results of an extensive testing program used to qualify the nuclear material containers.