A Safety Analysis of the Oak Ridge Critical Experiments Facility

Archive description

This document describes the Critical Experiments Facility, located in the Y-12 Area of Oak Ridge, with particular reference to the safety features of both the laboratory itself and the procedures established for the experiments constituting the specialized use for which the laboratory was constructed. A pertinent factor in evaluating the safety features is the absence of a significant inventory of fission products in experimental materials. It is concluded from past experiences in this and other laboratories and from theoretical analyses of the cause and progress of such events that an accidental criticality excursion yielding the order of 10(18) fissions has a small but finite probability of occurrence. A plan adequate to cope with all expected emergencies, including any requiring evacuation of the immediate vicinity, is in effect. The location of the Facility with respect to areas accessible to the public and the conservative assumptions of the air transport of fission products and other contaminants provide confidence in personnel protection according to the criteria of Federal Regulation 10 CFR 100 except for unclad plutonium. It is further concluded that the greatest potential danger to personnel is in the course of preparing fissile materials for experiments, in their storage and transport, and from contamination by radioactive materials, plutonium and polonium for example, dispersed from faulty neutron sources or radiation detectors. Various figures are included in this analysis.