Val Loiselle
American Technologies, Inc.
Alan Liby
Manufacturing Sciences Corporation
ABSTRACT
American technologies, Inc. and Manufacturing Sciences Corporation are responsible for producing he first low-level waste disposal container of significant quantity from recycle metal obtained at the DOE, K25 site in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The companies present their product design, the facilities utilized and the program status and results to date.
INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND
The concept of manufacturing low-level waste disposal containers from radioactive scrap metals (RSM) is to provide useful products from recycle as a first for the nuclear industry, an opportunity to revert a liability to an asset. There are three such projects of recent record including this one. They are:
Manufacturing Sciences Corporation recycled several hundred tons of carbon steel and stainless steel from the K25 site under contract to Lockheed Martin Energy Systems. More than 1000 boxes and 2000 drums will be fabricated. American Technologies Inc. Is responsible for the boxes manufacturing.
This paper addresses the efforts of Manufacturing Sciences Corporation and American Technologies Inc. in the fabrication of boxes from the latter program.
MELT RECYCLE AND FABRICATION FACILITIES
Manufacturing Sciences Corporation
MSC operates an RSM Recycling Center in Oak Ridge commissioned during 1995. It offers receiving, storage, remote sorting and sectioning, automated survey and recycle of metals into useful products. Within the 115,000 sq. ft. center is the company's VIDP furnace for metal melt. VIDP stands for vacuum induction de-gas and pour of metals. The attributes of such a furnace are strict chemistry control, little or no slag formation (wastes) and quality casting products. The furnace is capable of producing 10,000 tons melt to ingots per year. Each melt can be charged up to 6-tons.
MSC is the only fully integrated recycler in the industry today. At their two plants in Oak Ridge, they have the capacity to melt, cast, roll and fabricate products from RSM. At the first facility, there are two 3/4 ton VIM (Vacuum Induction Melt) furnaces which were originally used to melt and cast uranium metal. These furnaces add to the capability for the VIDP furnace described above. This facility also includes state-of-the-art rolling and fabricating equipment.
American Technologies, Inc. Manufacturing Facility, Specialty Metal Products
ATI established its manufacturing facility during 1996 for sheet metal operations and welding. This capability lends itself very well to box manufacturing. The facility consists a 25,000 sq. ft. Sheet Metal Shop with shear, bending, rolling, and punching capability. It is coupled with an additional 25,000 sq. ft. Weld Shop for MIG, TIG and arc weld operations. The shop includes exclusive crane coverage for heavy objects. It is licensed for radiological materials handling by the State of Tennessee Div. of Radiological Health. This latter license is essential to perform RSM product fabrication. As such the facility is capable of both clean and radiologically contaminated fabrication operations.
More than 8 new product designs were introduced to the facility during its first year. These products included ordinary box designs and specially designed shielded containers. ATI is the fabricator of RSM boxes for MSC as well as the builder of the prototype standardized containers under development at the Department of Energy.
PRODUCT DESIGN, PRODUCTION AND DELIVERY
MSC developed the ST90 box design in response to the Lockheed Martin solicitation for the SSMRP dated November, 1995. It conforms to the Lockheed specification in that procurement for a box with internal dimensions: 4' x 4' x 6' with a 10,000 lb. capacity and stackable three high. It would also be a strongtight container as specified by DOT rules for transport of LSA materials as contained in the federal regulations title 49, subpart 173, paragraphs 24 and 411. It contained other features for handling as evident from the photo in Appendix A.
ATI joined MSC for the production of the box. MSC would melt, cast and roll the sheet material for the box and ATI would assemble it. In practice, a number of challenges developed related to the new box design and our ability to produce the box to rigorous quality standards. ATI submitted its QAPP (Quality Assurance Program Plan) to MSC for its approval and acceptance. The plan showed the assembly record for the box, and rendered the various inspections and tests and accountability required to produce a box from RSM.
ATI's protracted effort to secure a license for its facility at K25 in Oak Ridge, required that we start production at the MSC facility. Thus, the first 300 boxes were manufactured in this way. Crews from ATI operated at MSC while the clean, non-radiological components were manufactured at the K25 facility. Since the box skins are the only radiological components, approximately 80% of the box by weight is actually RSM.
Lockheed Martin joined into the effort to manufacture these boxes as well. Not having its radiological license in place and the facilities to paint the boxes, ATI enlisted the paint shop at K25 to perform the paint service. ATI's Manufacturing Facility is a federally owned lease space at K25. It is actually the first-of-a-kind in terms of a privatization effort in Oak Ridge and it was conveniently located for the boxes' manufacture with delivery right on the premises.
To complete delivery of the boxes, ATI submits to MSC the box assembly record and radiological data. Lockheed Martin then maintains the inventory and traceability of the boxes until their final disposal. For example, the first 275 boxes were sent to Paducah for their use and the record traces the boxes there. As part of the acceptance process, LMES quality inspectors view the boxes at two holdpoints: assembly prior to paint and final inspection for acceptance. The boxes are then delivered to LMES Receiving at the K25 site. The data record for the boxes includes manufacturing sources and fabrication data as well as radiological data. Examples are given in Appendix B.
PROGRAM STATUS AND RESULTS TO DATE
The box manufacturing portion of the project proved to be a very aggressive undertaking. After a number of design improvements, LMES was satisfied it had achieved the most suitable box for its purposes and MSC and ATI went to work on it. 350 boxes were produced and delivered in 1996. The remainder will be completed in the first quarter of 1997. At this time, MSC has cast all of the necessary ingots and rolled out 90 percent of the required sheet. ATI, for its part has fabricated all of the clean components for all of the box assemblies.
The results are that the box design and the record of the data are quite satisfactory. An added goal to the process was to create a box whose specific activity would come in around 28 picocuries per gram (approx. 1 Becq./ gram) and this has been achieved as well.