Tertiary Containment Systems

DOE-HDBK-1132-99

Tertiary Containment Systems . In most tritium facilities, the term "ertiary

containment"is something of a misnomer. It usually refers to an ultra-

conservative approach where a high-quality primary system is housed in an

intermediate-quality secondary containment system, such as a glovebox, which

is equipped with a cleanup system. Both of these are then housed in a low-

quality containment system, such as a room, which is independently connected

to a cleanup system. In most cases, the cleanup system associated with both

the glovebox and the room are the same cleanup system.

In theory, the purpose of tertiary containment systems is to prevent the

immediate release of tritium to the environment in the event of a catastrophic

(and simultaneous) failure of both the primary and secondary containment

systems. In practice, however, these systems have never been used and, in

fact, they probably should not be used in an automatic mode in the event of a

catastrophic (and simultaneous) failure of both the primary and secondary

containment systems. Under such circumstances, the primary emphasis

should be on the health and safety of the worker, and potential rescue efforts

should not be hindered by shutting down the ventilation system to those parts

of the building where it is needed the most. After appropriate first-aid and

rescue efforts have been completed, consideration might then be given to the

use of these types of systems in a manual mode. But, as was noted in the

previous section, the use of such systems can be expected to have its own

undesirable effects, and the actual use of such systems could make a bad

situation even worse.

Tritium Removal Systems. In most tritium facilities, secondary containment

2.10.9

systems are connected to, or equipped with, tritium removal systems. The

primary purpose of these removal systems is to recover any tritium that has

been released from its associated primary containment system and to prevent

the release of that tritium to the environment. Like the secondary containment

systems they are connected to, the operational aspects of individual tritium

removal systems vary greatly among facilities, and among different types of

containment systems in any single tritium facility.

I-120