DUF6 Cylinder Program
The mission of the DUF6 Cylinder Program is to safely store the DOE-owned DUF6 inventory until its ultimate disposition. DOE has an active cylinder management program that includes cylinder and cylinder yard maintenance, routine inspections, and other programmatic activities such as cylinder corrosion studies. The program maintains a cylinder inventory database that serves as a systematic repository for all cylinder inspection data.
DUF6 is a solid at ambient temperatures and is stored in large metal cylinders. Cylinders are stored in outdoor facilities, commonly referred to as cylinder storage yards.
Cylinder Classification
There is a variety of cylinders at both sites separated in classes from A to D. Class A cylinders consist of those specifically identified as the highest of risks and include previously breached cylinders, those with polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB)-contaminated paint, or ones specifically identified and of interest to DOE. Class B cylinders are those designated to be processed only with a different system. Class C cylinders are those non-standard cylinders that can be processed in autoclaves. This category is a result of a technical efficiency project developed by the DUF6 contractor and approved by DOE and has led to significant progress in addressing the non-standard cylinder inventory. Class D cylinders are normal standard cylinders that can be processed in any autoclave and represents roughly 90% of the total inventory.
A typical cylinder size is 48 inches in diameter and about 12 feet long. A 14-ton thin-walled cylinder can hold approximately 28,000 lbs. of DUF6. The majority of DUF6 inventory is stored in larger thin-walled cylinders. Some cylinders require transfer into smaller thick-walled cylinders to fit into autoclaves for a heating process called vaporization.