Weigh Tank Qualification

The weighing of discrete items on bench scales is a routine event when accounting for nuclear materials. However, weighing solution in a tank as part of a process flow with accuracy comparable to the former is achieved. Lockheed Martin Energy Systems, Inc. (LMES) engineers have redesigned a weigh tank to be incorporated into the process flow of a chemical recovery operations. A previous tank design was resurrected and simplified by returning much of the automated design back to manual operation. The tank system was fabricated, assembled, and tested at the fabricator's facility. Test results place the one sigma weighing uncertainty at one hundredth of a percent. This system represents an excellent method to account for solution at a defined measurement point in a process flow. Implementation will provide reliable accounting along with benefits from decreased radiological exposure to personnel and facilities, a reduction in the number of personnel during measurement, and the elimination of additional storage space. The presentation will discuss the tank layout, testing, results, and recommendations for future testing and operation. System design for measurement issues (weighing, mixing, sampling, holdup, and measurement control) will be identified.