Cover Sheet for a Hanford Historical Document Released for Public Availability

Released 1995

Prepared for the U.S. Department of Energy under Contract DE-AC06-76RLO 1830

Pacific Northwest Laboratory Operated for the U.S. Department of Energy by Battelle Memorial Institute

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This report was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the United States Government. Neither the United States Government nor any agency thereof, nor any of their employees, make any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Government or any agency thereof. The views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government or any agency thereof.

DISCLAIMER

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.. Uow File

September 23, 1952

. ~ S d o c u m b ~ C 0 ~ ~ 8 To: File

copies, Se @ From: W. P. Ingalls

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REMOTE MECXMVICAL OPEBATING METHOD3 VS. FNBEER GLOVE OPERATDIG MFPBODS FOR THE 234-5 PROCESS

The attached document has been reviewed by the former RDA-E-9 Working Committee and by J. M. Smtth of Radiological Sciences.

We believe that the infomation set forth I s in general agreement with all concerned and is ready for pPesent&ionto the RDS-13 Development C o a t t e e for review.

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September 23, 19j2

Prepared by: W. P. In@.ls, Process Engineering U n i t Design Section

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FtEMm MECBAmICAL OFEWTING METBODS VS. RUBBER GLOVE 0-G MCPHODS FOR THE 234-5 PROCESS

Introduction

!Che present RMA Line has nov progressed through the run-in period and is en: gaged i n 8ctua.l production. Conslderable new data and experiences are avail- able for -e in an evaluation of the basis used fo r design of the equipment in regard t o contamintrtion colrtrol perl5onasl.

the safety of operating and msintenauce

Besesrch and developmsnt funds ham been allocated t o the impmvement of the 234-5 procear equipnt. !ihus it i s desirable that 8,n up-to..drrte basis be established for u8e a8 criteria for the design development of these Improve- ments. A committee for RD9-13 (formsrly RDA-DC-g), composed of W, P. Ingalls, J. E. Work and W. A. Brown, has discussed this problem with the operating, maintenance, technical, radiological sciences snd design personnel who have had experience with the process line and has iqcluded herein a reeonmendation for the adoption of an approach as t o whether remote"doxtro1 or ht+d opera- tions ah8l.l be utilized i n the design of new equipent. for definitions ana ea~lanations.)

(See Appendix "A"

Conclusions .

It is concluded that remote control operation of all plutonium purification and fabrication equipment is ultimately desirable. However, un t i l reliable, tested, remote-control equipment l a available, the remote! control reqyire- ment mag have to be compromised on some steps of the process t o allow mn- remote o r rubber @om operation in order t o obtain equipment with sufficient opezxting mliabil i ty.

Recommendations

It is Fecomendr?d that in the selection of the type of operation to be applied t o m w or modified e q y i p n t for any process step, that remote con- t r o l esuipment be utilized wherever practicable. However, it is felt that only by reachlng a comp-ae between the characteristics of the process stap under coneideration and the possibility of obtaining reliable equipment fcr the operakion, can an h t a l l a t i o n be obtained t h a t w i l l . prove t o be both de8i~sble and operable.

@A8 insurdnce e n s t obtaining equipnext that m y be less reliable than de- sfred, it is suggested that no binding comttmenta be made for the operation of a new installation u n t i l it has been proven out, ei ther by operation of s i m i l a r equipment i n the past, or by teeting of prototypes, and conversely, tha t If commitments for production operation of the equipment huve been made, that the eqyipmnt eelectred be of a design that hae already been proven out by actual production, even if the desired "remtems8" of opera- t ion has t o be compromised.

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Micarrion 4Y * Irr 1948-1%9, the A 0 Line ma imklleb in ordsr to met tha oarllrrt prrotl-

cable 6%. for a pXutonium fabrication froilitg at W o r d workr with the ua&nkp4ins that it did not !wet a l l of the darlrsr for yerrannel ufoty that aould be obkinrd wtth a lonpr , ]ID= studied p r o m . !he RU Liarr wn irbriwtod on tho b u i r or mucimnn omrating perroans1 rafety, and in- club& rumto control 'tmn Win4 a r o l l & barrier for mort operations. Durlw r t u t = u p of the Rb!A Line, the equipmat for roosnl operating rkpr prond.to be too tlareliablo for ratirfrotory operation, .nb arnaUr operation from Zone 3 through mbber glover ha8 been subrtittrtad by the Mumfacturiq Deprrtarrnt in order t o rcuo@.lsh production u nqyireb. In addition, the

opeqtion through rubber glover.

It l a obvlour that no ]precise policy hrs been followed a8 to whether m o t e operation, or m'ober-glove operation, shd l be utilized,

In order t o analyze the different possible methods o r operating equipnt it ha8 been n e c e r m t o assign a dsflnitlon t o each mathod, anU t o lipf ud tielips the principal cbrrrcterirt icr of ur.instrl2.tion that ni@t effect the choice of the type of operrtlon utiliteb. AppenUx "An.

In LL dimcussion of the r u i o u s types of operation in rem t o their suit- ability a8 analyzed for the chrracterirticr l is ted in -- "A", it I n n e c e s m that the characteristics be integnted u to their imgorttwe for the rpsciiic operation be$= considered. For inrtmce, the cost of eqgipwnt mt always be one of the forsmoot items, but if 8 cheaper i m t d h t i o n haa no ffexlbll l ty, it mrg becom obsolete in E short tinrs. Sirs ihrby, c~tl ex- pemlva, flexible, imta l l r t ion m y becomb intolenbbe bemas8 it i s not I, reliable operating mschanlm.

Experience with production-llrre eq&mont ha8 shown that after a 8uit.ble msahiaa ham been &vexoped ror "push-button" operatior in a production line, the machine w i l l usually pay for Itself in reduced operating time, higher capacities, akndudized product, and safety fa per.llonnsl; howwar, the rmLchipd is ususlly dareloped in a series of d atepa over 8 number of mar8 a8 techniqyer and materirls ape iPnrrpvsd. It is believed that the

jusp from the eleabnkl hand-opmted 110 Idne, to the eozqplexity o f ea en- tirely ramte Bbu Lige i 6 (c trOmndOU6 rtep and. although equipmat ha# bead

remote manner, the u i d i t l o n r l chrrcLcterl8ties o f reUability, flbxlbility aad elroe of mriatenrnce are not ent i rew eatii3factory In all casea, mb re- quire (Ldditioa dave lopnt .

finrl 8 h r p =hiabg grocerr 8tep has been adopted urb i 8

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Theme listed ana explainad in ' .

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8- PmgPeSS should ba mrAe With the 29-5 Ww process. The 8Uddtn -

irZataUed that i6 capabPe,Of PriCrdW IMSrly dl Of the O ~ F a t I O ~ in 8

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In the nwmtim, It is felt that the aquipmnt should be ogerated In one of the li.%ad operating clanmen whereby more of the aecoaeary ehr;xzctaris- tics of the operation are matlrfaetorf3y iufiilfpd. In other words, fqr

. -5- 4b curkin o f the RM . U s equipmhnt, it agpsars t o be nuceasary to aacriiice 80- o f the health hazard aafety aspects in or&r to obtain a l ine that can be rsadily maintained and is more adaptable t o procees davelapmcrrt aab -8s. It ahould not be construed that this conpromiae is u desirbble etate, but that It 16 a &re&? lee8 tempo- consideration until the t2m that the mchanical equipment can be developed that w i l l give satisfactory, reUable, remote operation. 9

a Again, the tempo- stat+ may last for an artended period of tlme in BO= caees, depending upon the degree of r i s k involved to. the personnel operating the equipment, and upon the cost of new equipmnt required t o replace the present ecp ipnt . justlricatlon for replacing an axpcnalve piece of equipment is rather d i f f i - cult , eapecleiKy when thcr t piece of equipment is producing satlefactorily.

Thus, the following policy ru les a m .suggested to be u@d a3 8 k s l s i ~ r choosillg the type of operation for a process step I n the 234-5 Building:

Unless e considerable risk is involved, the economic

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Analyze the procees etep in regad t o i ts characteristics as l latcd i n AppenauX nA", and determine which of these apply with the greateat h- portance e

Select the clsss'of operation which will f'ulfW. the required character- i s t i c s the best. For esuipmaxt parforming 8 repeated production step, t h i s choice should usually be remote control operstion.

-ne s proposed design for the equipment t o be used for its applic- ab i l i ty to the type operation aelected. been proven t o be satisfactory for t h i s type of operation, it ahould go through em exhaustive mock-up and test program so that no doubt remrpim =,to its suitabil i ty and reliability. If the bveloplpant program will take too long, go ba'ck and chmm 8 t y p of cqersticz, +&% cs l ls fa r equipment that haa previously been proven satiprfactory.

If the equipment has not trlready

The abwe rules are based on theracceptance of the fact that entirely remote opesstlon is ultimately desirable, but %ha$ mechanical, l ~ t a t i o n s In the equipment avsilable preclude its we in a l l c w e ~ ~ AU. inetallatiom ehould be as ne- t o being remote rn the zneohmicril equipment via allov.

An eiailsf to the one outuned herein has been util ized i n connec- tion a- th the iuachining step in IMA. prlor to preeaing, by hasd in the RG Line. Specifications for the RMA Line called for remote machining from 'behind a barrier. for t h i s operation.

PsBCblning wa8 orfgim2i.y perianwd,

provided equiprent

Prior t o production operstion of the eqdpment, the operation of machining to find a h a s YBS developed, ellzdnating the pressing operation. ment as developed wa8 hand operated through rubber gloves, and was proven out in the FIG Line. The GEL equipnasnt in the RMA Line was exambed for

The equip

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adaptation t o the iind ohape operation, but trrm found t o be too inflexible for awliflaation to the new at*. Thuo the nmmally operated equip- mnt m u Anstalled in place of t&e rsrmot;e e q a i p n t . It wao the moat dvanced darlgn available that had been prmsn reliable, tinr wao not available for further &mlop.ent, ana no exkmm conrpromirs in health pmtection waa mrda by psrformlxg this mtep by rubber-glnrs operation. the lording snd flrlng of cxndblea in Task 111, require more otrlngsnt h e a t h protaction maaure~ snd their &@e o f ramets control coul8. not be rem to the extent of this -le. emmnt for mplaceaent of the dating e q y i p n t when repbcermnt becomss necssssry or economically Juatlfhble, or for a new inataUatlon.

Other operations, ruch ar

It i~ now i n order to develop improved that vlll prarids more "tsaot8Mrs" of operation ror

It should be noted that a tedency vlll & s t to& the installation of re- pl*camax& e q u l p n t or nev inrhllations identiad. t o Sxistlng a g u l p n t be- caue of famllisritg: wlth the old inrrtallstion. Tbls tendency should be avoided in favor of the apprasth outlined herein. Thw identical. installations should occur 0- as the result of 811 aadyels of the factor8 affecting the lmtal la t ion or should be the result of non-technicjl factors such m a l u t e d t- for completion.

Although it would be pes ib le to list herein the varlous operating steps in the procenr and derlgnate the ppobsbls class of cperaitlon that could be eat- isfmrily -& for each rtap tit this t i rw, it i 8 r e l t that this 4 8 t - iq would be of an influencing nsture for future.in.&dlations and would

:-.ji4-.&8bliah an ultbutum for the operation of the ateps. This should be avoided in imor of the use or the overdl approach t o each design as out- linsd, 'Ihe prOces8, operStZng steps, product req;uirWaents, schedules, etc., are changeable, and It I s only by Slrsryzlng all of the factor8 applicable at one t k e and apslylng the pmper gene- appwach th& all conditions can satisfactorily be mt.

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APPEBDM "A"

Definitions and Explana tionr

In order to idnntiiythe types of operations that have or may be utilized, the following lis+ hM been prepsred to clasaify each type:

A. Remote Mecbanlcsl (RM) Operation

B. Ron-Remote Me~-hnn.1aal (MachsnicrJ. Aid) Operation behind Barrier

C. Hon-Remt~echanic 3 (Mechanical Aid) Operation from Zone 3 a D. Rubber Glove Operation

1. Servicing by plastic bag techrdgue.

2. Servicing by air locks. 4p Q

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The above cheaifications &e described a8 fallom:

A. Remote Mechanical Operation e

Thin type conaista of a line wherein the entire operation of the aquip- Bank i s performed by operators located behind d solid barrier, mafntenance end servicing, where mterials or samples are inserted or m v e d irom the line, are performed in the sane roam wh&m tho equig- msnt hoods are located. This is sometimas referred t o a8 "push-button" operation. m c h a8 servicing and Wntenance work is perfornrd through rubber or plastic gloves on sll sides of the hoods, Q separate M e r fromthe hood wa l l s has been installed in order to have an unpietced bulkhead be- tween the hooda and the operators.

It l a realized that one step further in the way of health protection @could be reallzed by performing a l l sewice and mintenance work by re-

Only

RMA and RMB were designed and fabricated on t h i s basis. In-

n m t e mechanical mea^ aleo; however, since these tasks arc 80 varied and intermittent, and cre urrder p d regulation, they are assumed to be acceptable SI) manuel eqqI.ement8 under the term of remOte operation. Ttze origlnaJ. RMA deeign began on the bseis of remote sanrpling and pier-

q,,nta were relake& early In the design period. vfcing, but these @ B. Ibz-Remott Y?%bnLcd (Mechanical A S ) OperatLon behind a Barrier

'phis cla6sificatlon includes the utUza;tion of direct hand msnipulstion of opezat'hg shafts or rodrp y operaking pernoanel, the sh&ts extend- l r g through a solid barrier andbeing sealed ~ 5 t h etuffizzg boxes or beUnvs eesls. hoods through gloves or plastic bags.

d llhe operating area, in a s type, contains no BCCC~B t o

Thase are fn a Zone 3 area 0

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behind the btwrler. For this type, tbe b&ar nay be the solid front rill, O r 8 procar8 hood. .?,

' 7 C. Hon-Remte &chm.lcal (bch8nical Aid) Ogaratton inUr Zone 3 Q 0 mci clusrrlflcation I s the same 811 B except that the operation may bo frbm any side of the hood, within the Zone 3 area, and within the stme am?m that co- rubber glover or plaatic bags in the hood W. 8 - Rubber G l o v e Operation

1. Rubber Glove Opera 9 ion w i t h Serrric- by Plaat ic BLLg %chnique Bg

This clssslf'ication assums rubber glove operation for a hood with the operator either within or sapdate& f r o m the semlclng area.

0 2. Rubber Glove Operatior with t&o@ L- Ladie

Ihe RG Line v6. o r i g i ~ inata lhd with these chsrachri~ ice; althoagh the ophrations were pewozlaed through g l m s f r o m a separ- ate area ionaad by the front vdl. of the ho&. 0

It is r e k z e d that the 08mb hood msp utilize sepepsl of the 'ribovc clsssl- fications, or amitlXcations thereto, but the overall clcrseiiication of each hood ahoul'd bb based on the type of opensUon b u t in to t he hood that affords the least proteetion for peraopI)Icli Thus, if any one operation i n a hood is p e r f o m thraugh N b k r gloves, the hood should be classified as a rubber game operation r a w a s or how ~ ~ L I I J T ather remota operatiom ~ v e p e r r o e . Msintanance may be considered seprrrately in that t is done F special protective conditions. 9 Q -6 In malyzhg the above t y p e of installatdon it f a necessary that considers- tioa be given to the ahmtagee snd diaadm&qpe of each ebssifieation in rem to the follaving characteristics: e

@ 9% cost8

a. ~irae cost & L u n g datclqpent oi equip&. b. Operating C O E ~ S . c. proaable mbtezrance e0s-k~.

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7. Personnel contMnation Fisk @

DEB ASS lFlED m-25720

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8. Personnel safety for other than contamination riaka

A brief discusmion o the above chwacterletlca i s given below t o clarify

tion: the interpretations o 9 them 88 wed in saalyzlng the va.:lous methods of opera-

1. Coats - The' first cost of the equipment must include any development work done in the design o r building of the quipment. It fallowe, there- fore, that items already proven t o be satisfactory should be cheaper than newly dmeloped items of the 8aam magnitude.

aB The operrrting and maintenance costs of e q u i p k t depend lsr*gely upon other characterletics listed, but mat be considered in ecomndc comparisons.

@ Operabiuty - Ihe simplicity of the operation, effect on the operator, such as mcatd s-n, special clothing, etc., snd t h tor required are W e n i n t o coneideration.

2. caliber of opera- a

@ @ 3. Rellabllity - This characteristic coneists of the en laa t ion of how re-

liable and dependable the operation and equipment are. mech8nt.8~8 uill perform a task idelrtically f o r each repetition, where hunrrn hnndrr w i l l . not; however, n~~chj.nes that are comlstently breaking

available method of emergency operation improves r e l i a b i l L ~ .

As a general rule,

or developing defects m? Ft a8 reliable 88 manual operation. An

4. Eass of Maintenance - It should be conceded that dl mschanlsme wlll re- quire msigtenance eventuslly, aud that armng@ments pzwiding for ready acceesibilitg,~easg contamination contxol, and simple replacement of

@ prts, -are &sini%le.

5. Flsxibil l ty - grPerience has shown that it is desirable t o install equip ment thst can be easily modified t o accolmnodate process changes and changes in operatins techniques. Large, complicated mechnnlsma, and pe'rzment structural srrsngunerrts do not lead themselves t o changes.

6. ConSaminatlon~Control - This cleeeifieation evaluates the pmbable ease v i th vhfch contamination is coniined wtthia a hood, or within a a m d l (pre~, both during noxnml. opcrstion and in case of any possible emergency or accident t h a t nay SFfse. It slso ineludes the ease w i t h which any C O I l t 8 d ~ t i O B 28 cleaned Up.

$37. Personnel Con-tlon Risk - risk of coxrt&nstlon to personnel

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Q should be considered as a contpromise. from the operations is the goal t o rcach i n a U cases. in t h i s =spec% antst be a cslcuhted risk, accepted only because other chsnrcteristica of the operation so dictate.

Complete separation of personnel Every risk +&en

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6 It i s suggcstedthat the evaluation of --e personnel contamination risk InclUae cub cetimste of the number of hour8 of work umbr regulated con- ditions' thst will be necesasry by a l l personnel i rmhed wLth the appli- cable process step. OperStSd appsratue meby be 80 great in campsrison to tbt required for SWP opvation of a nrbber glove hood for the same procsse Bteg, that it nay be profitable t o install the rubber glove equirpaerrt e l l reliable ramOte equipwnt is developed.

Personnel ssfety Other Than Contamination Risk - Explosion hazards, r i sk of contactins toxic gases, cuts, bruises, etc., art ususlly con- 8i@red of secondsrg importance to contamirsation butOthey.must not be overlooked. A combination of a gas exploaion snd co-tion ie poeaible. 0

The time epent for S W mintemnee of remotely

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