Gas Analyses from Headspace of Plutonium-bearing Materials Containers

摘要

The Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) 3013 destructive examination program performs surveillance on 3013 containers originating from multiple sites across the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) complex. The bases for the packaging, storage, and surveillance activities are derived from the DOE's 3013 Standard (DOE-STD-3013-2004). During destructive examination, headspace gas samples are obtained from the 3013 inner container and the annulus between the outer and inner containers. To characterize gas species, the samples are analyzed by gas chromatography (GC), direct-inlet mass spectrometry (DIMS), and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The GC results, as well as other parameters, are utilized as input into the gas evaluation software tool (GEST) program for computation of pre-puncture gas compositions and pressures.rnMore than thirty containers from the Hanford Site and the Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site (RFETS) have been examined in the first three years of the surveillance program. Several containers were shown to have appreciable hydrogen content (some greater than thirty mol percent), yet little or no oxygen was detected in any of the containers, including those exhibiting high hydrogen concentrations. Characteristics including moisture content, surface area, and material composition, along with the headspace gas composition, are utilized in an attempt to explain the chemical behavior of the packaged materials.