Test plan for headspace gas sampling of remote-handled transuranic waste containers at Los Alamos National Laboratory

Abstract

Seventeen remote-handled (RH) transuranic (TRU) waste canisters currently are stored in vertical, underground shafts at Technical Area (TA)-54, Area G, at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). These 17 RH TRU waste canisters are destined to be shipped to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) for permanent disposal in the geologic repository. As the RH TRU canister is likely to be the final payload container prior to placement into the 72-B cask and shipment to the WIPP, these waste canisters provide a unique opportunity to ascertain representative flammable gas concentrations in packaged RH-TRU waste. Hydrogen, which is produced by the radiolytic decomposition of hydrogenous constituents in the waste matrix, is the primary flammable gas of concern with RH TRU waste. The primary objectives of the experiment that is described by this test plan are to sample and analyze the waste canister headspace gases to determine the concentration of hydrogen in the headspace gas and to calculate the hydrogen gas generation rate for comparison to the applicable maximum allowable hydrogen generation rate (mole/sec) limits. It is a goal of this experiment to determine the headspace gas concentrations of other gases (e.g., oxygen, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) with molecular weights less than 60 g/mole) that are produced by radiolysis or present when the waste was packaged. Additionally, the temperature, pressure, and flow rate of the headspace gas will be measured.