Airlocks

DOE-HDBK-3010-94

Appendix B; Plutonium Recovery Facility

Potentially flammable materials such as Benelex are painted with intumescent paint to retard

fire propagation.

The glovebox units are seismically anchored to and grouted into the concrete floors of the

facility. Complete documentation drawings are not available, but the floor on the operating

side of three gloveboxes was opened to verify this condition. Verification was successful and

the floors have since been repaired.

2.1.3.3 A irlock s

The H Plant is divided into airlock zones to minimize the chance of spreading contamination.

One set of airlocks separates those rooms containing radionuclide-handling equipment from

the rest of the processing enclosure. A second set of airlocks separates the processing

enclosure from the general use areas of the building.

The primary airlocks isolate the operating and maintenance rooms associated with

gloveboxes, the TRU waste drumming station, the exhaust HEPA plena room, the vessel

vent room, and the cold chemical makeup room from the rest of the facility. The use of the

two-room configuration per box is also designed to minimize contamination as entry into the

gloveboxes for maintenance and repair is not conducted in the same room where manual

monitoring and operation of the box will occur.

The primary airlocks consist of an enclosure defined by two doors. One set leads to a

glovebox room (or one of the other areas noted above), while the other set leads out into a

corridor. Both the outer and inner doors have a combination lock for entry. A hand and

shoe monitor is installed in the airlock for use when exiting the potentially contaminated

area.

The secondary airlocks separate the facility control and instrumentation rooms as well as

general use space from the primary processing enclosure. There are three of these units on

the first floor and one emergency airlock exit to the outside at the northeast corner of the

building in the processing enclosure. These airlocks function exactly like the primary

airlocks, with the exception of the emergency exit, which is alarmed and has crash bars for

opening the doors.

The location of the airlocks in the facility is designated by an AL on the floorplans of the

facility provided as Figures B.2 and B.3. Where the A and the L are separate, it indicates

two independent airlocks related to one glovebox line. One airlock leads to the operating

side of the line, while the other leads to the maintenance side of the line.

Page B-6