Release Estimation - h3010v10331

DOE-HDBK-3010-94

7.0 Application Examples; Production Support Lab Example

areas. The atomic absorption unit also uses a 125-scf cylinder of acetylene that is stored in

the lab room, where it can be both a fire and explosive hazard. The ventilation confinement,

criticality monitoring, fire protection, and air sampling systems are similar to those in the

plutonium recovery facility. The lab facility, however, does not possess the structural

strength of the process facility. The southeast quadrant of the ventilation and filter plenum

room is estimated to collapse in the 1 in 1000 year 0.13g seismic event. The overall facility

is estimated to collapse for seismic events in excess of 0.15g.

7.3.11.2

Release Estimation

The purpose of this example is to demonstrate use of release fraction values for a relatively

low-hazard facility. This example will evaluate the facility as a whole instead of examining

individual processes or activities. The three specific events examined are a large fire

involving all lab rooms, an acetylene explosion, and total collapse of the facility.

A. Large Fire. A large fire involving all of the laboratory rooms and the filter room

is very unlikely given the level of combustible loading in the facility, the use of fire

walls between lab rooms, and the existence of a building sprinkler system. To

provide immediate perspective on the hazard potential of the lab facility, however,

such a large fire is arbitrarily assumed to occur.

The release phenomena for liquids in gloveboxes is assumed to be simple boiling.

The 2-l plastic jugs of leftover sample solution will not support internal pressures

sufficient for superheat phenomena and will fail structurally due to the heat flux of the

fire. The spilled liquid will then boil due to that heat flux. The small 20-ml sample

vials will also not support any significant internal pressure and their plastic caps will

likewise fail due to the heat flux of the fire. The bounding ARF and RF for this

phenomena are 2E-3 and 1.0 (subsection 3.2.1.3).

The release phenomena for solids will vary by type. Powders will experience heating

only, with a maximum associated ARF and RF of 6E-3 and 0.01 (subsection 4.4.1.1)

for oxide. Small metal samples will burn with an ARF and RF of 5E-4 and 0.5

(subsection 4.2.1.1.3) for self-sustained oxidation of metal. Therefore, all solids will

be considered to be metal, even though this condition will not be approached in

operation. Waste pails will burn with an ARF and RF of 5E-4 and 1.0 for

combustion of packaged waste (subsection 5.2.1.1). The ARF and RF for thermal

stress of HEPA filters are 1E-4 and 1.0 (section 5.4.1).

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