Safety class containers for Plutonium-238 Oxide Handling and Reduction of Material at Risk

Safety Class containers for 238PuO2 have been developed, tested, and qualified for use at the Plutonium Facility at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Safety Class Containers reduce the effective Material At Risk (MAR) in the facility, and allow material to be staged at processing locations, improving efficiency without compromising the constraints imposed by the Safety Basis on material exposed in accident scenarios. The MAR limit is established to minimize the potential for airborne release of 238PuO2 from the facility in the event of glovebox breaches and subsequent dose to the Maximally Exposed Offsite Individual (MEOI). Preventing dispersion of the plutonium oxide requires that material be confined within the glovebox in such a way that it remains undisturbed during the postulated design basis accidents in the facility. Containers were designed to withstand various scenarios. Testing of the containers included characterizing response to [impact, heating, and overpressure.] Test parameters will be described and results presented. Qualification of the Safety Class Containers permits safe storage and handling of 238PuO2 increasing throughput and handling efficiency. These efficiencies substantially decrease worker dose and makes heat source production at Los Alamos an expeditious and more cost effective process thus meeting customer expectations and requirements.