A new computer-based transuranic (TRU) Waste Management System is being implemented at the Plutonium Facility at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). It is a distributed computer processing system stored in a Sybase database and accessed by a graphical user interface written in Omnis7, a client/server development tool. The system resides on the local area network at the Plutonium Facility and is accessible by authorized TRU waste originators, Nondestructive Assay (NDA) Laboratory personnel, radiation protection technicians, quality assurance personnel, and waste management personnel for data input and verification. The tracking system has changed the TRU paper trail into a computer trail, saving time and eliminating errors and inconsistencies in the process.
Figure 2: Dennis Wulff (right) points out features of the computerized Waste Management System to Chester A. Smith, Jr. Input from users such as these helped design a system that provides accurate tracking of transuranic waste throughout the Los Alamos Plutonium Facility.
The Nuclear Materials Technology Division as the landlord of the Plutonium Facility has recognized for many years that cradle-to-grave tracking of TRU waste could be done most expeditiously by a computer network-based, real-time data generation and tracking system. Towards this goal, the system was conceived in 1991 and then launched in 1993 with a week-long meeting of users and programming personnel to determine the system requirements. Phased implementation of the system inside the Plutonium Facility began in August of 1995 with the submittal of waste information by the waste originator to the materials management and waste management groups. Full implementation is anticipated in April 1997.
The Plutonium Facility is the largest generator of TRU waste at LANL, producing approximately 500 new containers of waste per year. The facility is anticipating an expanded mission and upgrades that will increase the waste production rate. The plutonium processing area in the facility has 530 waste originators and about 100 processes operating in over 300 glove boxes. The TRU waste generated at the Plutonium Facility consists of solid (debris) waste and immobilized liquid (cemented) waste. The waste is primarily contaminated with plutonium isotopes and is destined for disposal at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP).
The tracking system data are stored in the Sybase database, which resides on a Sun Workstation. The client/server computing breaks programs into two parts: one part on the local workstation‹the client‹that requests data and the rest on one or more server machines that supply the data. This program can be run using Windows 3.1, Windows 95, Windows NT, and Macintosh operating systems. The implementation of the system required that upgrades to networking capabilities be made throughout the Plutonium Facility so that originators would have the ability to log on to the system in their own processing rooms and input the waste item information.
Two of the major hurdles in the implementation of this system were the quality assurance requirements for signatures and an auditable trail of changes made to the data. These problems were resolved by requiring users to log onto the system and by setting up a table of authorities identifying who could change records, and tables to track changes.
For debris waste, the process starts when the waste originator logs on to the system and characterizes the waste. The waste item is then assigned a unique identifier. The new waste item is visually inspected and approved on-line by personnel of the waste management group. At the time of approval rigorous checks are in place to ensure that all information is complete. Once approved, the item is eligible for assay. The waste originator requests an assay on-line, and the item then appears on the list of items ready for assay in the NDA Laboratory. The NDA personnel measure the item and enter the results of the assay into the system. The system compares the assay to the discard limits for the item and displays the two values. If the item meets the discard limit, it then becomes available for packaging into a waste container.
As each item arrives in the waste management room, waste management personnel use the system to locate the appropriate container and place the item in the container. Weight and assay values are entered into the computer system to verify that the addition of this item will not exceed weight limits or limits on special nuclear materials. Personnel then don respirators for the actual packing. One person sits at the computer terminal while the others do the packing. When packing is complete, the final measured gross weight of the container is entered. The calculated weight of the container has been created by the computer and is displayed for comparison. The packed container is then physically closed and final calculations are performed. The closed and sealed container undergoes a confirmation assay by the NDA Laboratory. The computer does all calculations previously done by NDA Laboratory personnel to confirm that there is no significant difference between the container assay and the sum of the assays of all items in the container. The process for cemented waste differs somewhat from debris waste. In particular, liquid processing calculations previously done by hand are now done by the system, and no confirmation assay is done.
The closed and sealed container must be swiped and surveyed by WIPP-certified radiation protection technicians. The system presents the technicians with allowable instrument numbers and automatically alerts them when an instrument is out of calibration. It will not allow measurements to be done by an out-of-calibration instrument. The system checks the measurements against facility and WIPP limits and prevents containers from being released if they exceed those limits.
The TRU-waste data package can be viewed on-line at any time during the processing. All approvals are listed so that viewers may determine the stage in processing for a given container. Using the computer system, personnel complete all paperwork in the data package at this point. The data package forms are created on the network only, and no paper will be transferred outside of the radiation-controlled area. Each approver logs on to the system and issues his/her approval. Approvers are notified electronically when the data package is ready for each level of review and approval.
When all approvals have been given, the data package coordinator prints the data package that will accompany the container when it leaves the facility. To assure control of the printed data package, the coordinator is the only person authorized to print the package.
Numerous benefits have already been realized using the tracking system. The most obvious benefits are that transcription and calculational errors have been eliminated and that there are no longer mistakes where decisions are made based on numerical comparisons. The need for a data clerk to enter the final data into a separate database has been eliminated. There is no longer a need to transfer hard copies of the data packages from a controlled radiological area to an uncontrolled area.
Personnel who participated in the phased testing of the system and provided feedback to the programmer became partners in the development and improvement of the system (see Figure 2). Their involvement resulted in a vastly improved product that enhanced the system and in many cases caused personnel to rethink the way they had been performing work. Personnel who use the system frequently say that this part of their job has become a lot easier and less time-consuming.
Contributors to this project are Kathryn Smith, Andrew Montoya, Ronald Wieneke, Dennis Wulff, Chester A. Smith, Jr., and Kathleen Gruetzmacher, all of NMT-7.
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