DESCRIPTION OF THE RACKABLE CAN STORAGE BOX (RCSB) USED IN THE HIGHLY ENRICHED URANIUM MATERIALS FACILITY (HEUMF) AT THE Y-12 NATIONAL SECURITY COMPLEX

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) Y-12 National Security Complex (NSC) is preparing to move into their new Highly Enriched Uranium Materials Facility (HEUMF). This storage facility is designed to not only provide robust physical security for national security related material but to also, through state-of-the-art technologies, reduce the operational costs of storing material at Y-12. One technology used to accomplish the task of reducing costs while providing a safe, secure area to store highly enriched uranium (HEU) that does not compromise the safety and health of employees, the public, or the environment, is the Rackable Can Storage Box (RCSB). This new container used Borobond4 as a neutron poison. Borobond4 is a chemically bonded phosphate ceramic product used for neutron absorption. The use of the RCSB in the HEUMF will allow storage in a much more compact area than normal borated concrete or an air-spaced array. This paper will discuss the actual space, cost, and time savings associated with the implementation of RCSBs at Y-12.