RESIDUE CHARACTERIZATION AT THE ROCKY FLATS ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY SITE

摘要

A characterization program was developed at Rocky Flats to address possible safety risksrnassociated with plutonium residue material generated during weapons production. The ResiduernCharacterization Program at Rocky Flats was approved and implemented in December 1995.rnThe purpose of the program is to obtain statistically significant information about the backlogrnresidues stored at Rocky Flats, with a minimum amount of sampling, so that fact-based decisionsrncan be made in addressing the final disposition of the materials. The preliminary characterizationrnhas provided information on how these materials are behaving in storage, RCRA, WIPPrncertifiability, and subsequent processing. All 99 residue item description codes (IDCs)rn(representing over 100 metric tons of material) have been characterized to an 80% confidencernlevel; additionally, “higher” risk IDCs are being characterized to a 95% confidence level. Torndate, over 1000 residue containers, primarily in 55-gallon drums and vault cans, have beenrnsampled and analyzed. The analysis has addressed safety hazards (pyrophoricity, flammability,rnshock sensitivity, reactive metals, dispersible fines), as well as parameters that affect the RCRArnclassification or final disposition path of the material (total metals, VOAs, SVOAs, moisturerncontent, chemical composition). The residue materials are better understood, and less reactivernthan originally hypothesized. This translates to significant cost-savings to the taxpayer in thatrnless handling (e.g., “processing”) will be required for most of the materials, and most can bernsimply repackaged to meet off-site shipment requirements. In addition, the characterizationrnprogram has gathered data regarding material packaging configuration, dose rates, andrncontamination of internal containers. This information has helped formulate operational aspectsrnof the processing or repackaging plans. The Residue Characterization Program has been valuablernin defining the future plans for residues.