Contribution to Internal Pressure and Flammable Gas Concentration in RAM (Radioactive Material) Transport Packages

摘要

Various facilities in the US generate wastes contaminated with transuranic (TRU) isotopes (such as plutonium and americium) that decay primarily by emission of alpha particles. The waste materials consist of a wide variety of commercially available plastics, paper, cloth, and rubber; concreted or sludge wastes containing water; and metals, glass, and other solid inorganic materials. TRU wastes that have surface dose rates of 200 mrem/hr or less are typically packaged in plastic bags placed inside metal drums or boxes that are vented through high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters. These wastes are to be transported from waste generation or storage sites to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in the TRUPACT-II, a Type B package. Radiolysis of organic wastes or packaging materials, or wastes containing water generates gas which may be flammable or simply contribute to the internal pressure of the radioactive material (RAM) transport package. This paper discusses the factors that affect the amount and composition of this gas, and summarizes maximum radiolytic G values (number of molecules produced per 100 eV absorbed energy) found in the technical literature for many common materials. These G values can be used to determine the combination of payload materials and decay heats that are safe for transport. G values are established for categories of materials, based on chemical functional groups. It is also shown using transient diffusion and quasi-equilibrium statistical mechanics methods that hydrogen, if generated, will not stratify at the top of the transport package void space. 9 refs., 1 tab.