[en] The Plutonium Immobilization Plant (PIP) will encapsulate plutonium in ceramic pucks and seal the pucks inside welded cans. Remote equipment will place these cans in magazines and the magazines in a Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF) canister. The DWPF will fill the canister with glass for permanent storage. This report discusses the Plutonium Immobilization Can Loading conceptual design for the 13 Metric Ton (MT) PIP throughput case. This report includes a process block diagram, process description, and preliminary equipment specifications and documents the changes to the original can loading concept documented in previous reports

[en] The U.S. Department of Energy will immobilize excess plutonium in the proposed Plutonium Immobilization Plant (PIP) at the Savannah River Site (SRS) as part of a two track approach for the disposition of weapons-usable plutonium

[en] A process is being developed at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) for immobilization and ultimate disposal of legacy nuclear materials. A Ceramification System Test Facility (CSTF) is being built at LLNL, while the actual Plutonium Immobilization Plant (PIP) will be built at Savannah River Site (SRS). The materials are formed into ceramic-based pucks in what is called the First Stage Immobilization (FSI) process. The FSI puck handling system will provide automatic conveyance of pucks through several process steps beginning with removing the ''green'' pucks from the forming press, loading and unloading the pucks into/from a sintering furnace, and ending with loading the sintered pucks into transport cans for removal from the CSTF glovebox. It will eliminate several potential operator hazards arising from operating machinery within the glovebox, reduce operator exposure to radiation, reduce the chance of damaging pucks during handling and increase the throughput of the system. Ancillary equipment is also being developed and integrated with the puck handling system to determine the mass and geometric properties of both the green and sintered pucks. Although the CSTF is intended to demonstrate equipment that is prototypical of plant systems, significant differences exist between the envisioned plant and the LLNL CSTF with respect to their respective puck handling systems. LLNL and SRS both recognize this disparity, and although the CSTF puck handling system will not be plant prototypic in overall form, it will, however, be useful in addressing several plant-relevant puck-handling issues. Thus, the CSTF puck handling system will provide both short-term benefits for operation of the CSTF itself at LLNL, and support an overall project goal of demonstrating plant prototypic equipment for the SRS facility

[en] The Plutonium Immobilization Plant will immobilize legacy nuclear materials in a ceramic material in the form of ''pucks'' and prepare it for permanent disposal. The Plutonium Ceramification Test Facility is being built at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory to demonstrate proof-of-process with plant prototypic equipment, and will include a puck handling system to reduce operator exposure to radiation, to enhance operator safety, and to increase system throughput. Equipment has been selected and designed to meet the system requirements. The puck handling system is a custom-designed electromechanical unit that is configured to provide the required work envelope while fitting within the spatial constraints imposed by the glove box. Its work envelope is large relative to the spatial constraints in order to maximize its potential utility for non-routine operations such as recovery operations and housekeeping. A custom gripper was also designed to work within the severe spatial constraints imposed by other process equipment. A puck weighing/measuring station and a vacuum tool were also developed to meet system requirements. The equipment has undergone initial independent testing and is being installed to test its operation as part of the overall system

[en] A mobile robot system called Stored Waste Autonomous Mobile Inspector (SWAMI) is under development by the Savannah River Technology Center (SRTC) Robotics Group of Westinghouse Savannah River Company (WSRC) to perform mandated inspections of waste drums stored in warehouse facilities. The system will reduce personnel exposure to potential hazards and create accurate, high-quality documentation to ensure regulatory compliance and enhance waste management operations. Development work is coordinated among several Department of Energy (DOE), academic, and commercial entities in accordance wit DOE's technology transfer initiative. The prototype system, SWAMI I, was demonstrated at Savannah River Site (SRS) in November, 1993. SWAMI II is now under development for field trails at the Fernald site

[en] A mobile robot is being developed by the Savannah River Technology Center (SRTC) Robotics Group of Westinghouse Savannah River company (WSRC) to perform mandated inspections of waste drums stored in warehouse facilities. The system will reduce personnel exposure and create accurate, high quality documentation to ensure regulatory compliance. Development work is being coordinated among several DOE, academic and commercial entities in accordance with DOE's technology transfer initiative. The prototype system was demonstrated in November of 1993. A system is now being developed for field trails at the Fernald site

[en] A mobile robot system called the Stored Waste Autonomous Mobile Inspector (SWAMI) is under development by the Savannah River Technology Center (SRTC) Robotics Group of Westinghouse Savannah River Company (WSRC) to perform mandated inspections of waste drums stored in warehouse facilities. The system will reduce personnel exposure to potential hazards and create accurate, high-quality documentation to ensure regulatory compliance and enhance waste management operations. Development work is coordinated among several Department of Energy (DOE), academic, and commercial entities in accordance with DOE's technology transfer initiative. The prototype system, SWAMI I, was demonstrated at Savannah River Site (SRS) in November, 1993. SWAMI II is now under development for field trials at the Fernald site

[en] The use of foam in decontamination operations offers significant reductions in waste generation. Initial use has confirmed its effectiveness. Issues being resolved at Savannah River Site (SRS) include compatibility of foam generating solutions with decontamination solutions, waste disposal, and operational safety

[en] Thousands of drums of radioactive/hazardous/mixed waste are currently stored at DOE sites throughout US; they are stored in warehouse facilities on an interim basis, pending final disposition. Recent emphasis on anticipated decommissioning of facilities indicates that many more drums of waste will be generated, requiring additional storage. Federal and state regulations dictate that hazardous waste covered by RCRA be inspected periodically for container degradation and to verify inventories. All known DOE waste storage facilities are currently inspected manually. A system to perform robotic inspection of waste drums is under development by the SRTC Robotics Group of WSRC; it is called the Stored Waste Autonomous Mobile Inspector (SWAMI). The first version, SWAMI I, was developed by the Savannah River Technology Center (SRTC) as a proof of principle system for autonomous inspection of drums in a warehouse. SWAMI I was based on the Transitions Research Corporation (TRC) HelpMate mobile robot. TRC modified the Helpmate to navigate in aisles of drums. SRTC added subsystems to SWAMI I to determine its position in open areas, read bar code labels on the drums up to three levels high, capture images of the drums and perform a radiation survey of the floor in the aisles. The radiation survey was based on SRTC patented technology first implemented on the Semi-Intelligent Mobile Observing Navigator (SIMON). The radiation survey is not essential for the inspection of drums, but is an option that can increase the utility and effectiveness of SWAMI in warehouses with radioactive and/or mixed waste. All the sensors on SWAMI I were fixed on the vehicle. From the success of SWAMI I, a second version, SWAMI II, was developed; it will be evaluated at Fernald and tested with two other mobile robots. Intent is to transfer the technology developed for SWAMI I and II to industry so that it can supply additional units for purchase for drum inspection

[en] The use of foam in decontamination operations offers significant reductions in waste generation. Initial use has confirmed its effectiveness. Issues being resolved at the Savannah River Site include compatibility of foam generating solutions with decon solutions, waste disposal and operational safety