Year
1992
Abstract
A demonstration of the Brookhaven National Laboratory pressure-volume authenticator applied to the input accountancy tank at the PETRA (Plant for the Experimental Treatment on Radioactive Alternatives), facility, JRC, Ispra is described. The input accountancy tank, is located in one of the hot cells housing the PETRA reprocessing plant installation. The plant operates in a batch mode treating 6 Kg Uranium of high burn-up fuel. The demonstration, carried out on a 40 liter slab tank with water, had the dual objectives to assess operations in the set up and connection to operator's equipment, and to study the precision and accuracy attainable with such portable instrumentation. The pressurevolume authenticator (PVA) consists of an automated electromanometer system that is controlled by a laptop computer, and a transportable volumetric artifact A portable pressure gage is connected, via a scamvalve, to the operator's bubble-probe system and independently measures all bubbler probes. Calibration tests performed included a) density/probe separation, b) incremental tank calibration, and c) thermal expansion. The paper presents the test results obtained and the conclusions that can be drawn regarding calibration procedures suitable for use in reprocessing plants. The demonstration of mass transfer of solution with an accuracy of 0.1 % is made.