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Details

Computer model and simulation of a glove box process.

DE2001773424

Publication Date	2001
Personal Author	Foster, C.
Page Count	12
Abstract	The development of facilities to deal with the disposition of nuclear materials at an acceptable level of Occupational Radiation Exposure (ORE) is a significant issue facing the nuclear community. One solution is to minimize the worker's exposure though the use of automated systems. However, the adoption of automated systems for these tasks is hampered by the challenging requirements that these systems must meet in order to be cost effective solutions in the hazardous nuclear materials processing environment. Retrofitting current glove box technologies with automation systems represents potential near-term technology that can be applied to reduce worker ORE associated with work in nuclear materials processing facilities. Successful deployment of automation systems for these applications requires the development of testing and deployment strategies to ensure the highest level of safety and effectiveness. Historically, safety tests are conducted with glove box mock-ups around the finished design. This late detection of problems leads to expensive redesigns and costly deployment delays. With wide spread availability of computers and cost effective simulation software it is possible to discover and fix problems early in the design stages. Computer simulators can easily create a complete model of the system allowing a safe medium for testing potential failures and design shortcomings. The majority of design specification is now done on computer and moving that information to a model is relatively straightforward. With a complete model and results from a Failure Mode Effect Analysis (FMEA), redesigns can be worked early. Additional issues such as user accessibility, component replacement, and alignment problems can be tackled early in the virtual environment provided by computer simulation. In this case, a commercial simulation package is used to simulate a lathe process operation at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). The Lathe process operation is indicative of most glove box operations and demonstrates the ability and advantages of advance computer based modeling. The three-dimensional model also enables better comprehension of problems to non-technical staff. There are many barriers to the seamless integration between the initial design specifications and a computer simulation. Problems include the lack of a standard model and inexact manufacturing of components used in the glove box. The benefits and drawbacks are discussed; however, the results are useful.
Keywords	Gloveboxes Computerized simulation Occupational safety Radioactive materials Radiation protection Automation Computer-aided design Materials handling
Source Agency	Technical Information Center Oak Ridge Tennessee
NTIS Subject Category	77I - Reactor Fuels & Fuel Processing 77 - Nuclear Science & Technology 97Q - Selected Studies In Nuclear Technology
Corporate Authors	Los Alamos National Lab., NM.; Department of Energy, Washington, DC.
Document Type	Conference Proceedings
NTIS Issue Number	200125
Contract Number	W-7405-ENG-36

Computer model and simulation of a glove box process.

Computer model and simulation of a glove box process.
DE2001773424

Publication Date	2001
Personal Author	Foster, C.
Page Count	12
Abstract	The development of facilities to deal with the disposition of nuclear materials at an acceptable level of Occupational Radiation Exposure (ORE) is a significant issue facing the nuclear community. One solution is to minimize the worker's exposure though the use of automated systems. However, the adoption of automated systems for these tasks is hampered by the challenging requirements that these systems must meet in order to be cost effective solutions in the hazardous nuclear materials processing environment. Retrofitting current glove box technologies with automation systems represents potential near-term technology that can be applied to reduce worker ORE associated with work in nuclear materials processing facilities. Successful deployment of automation systems for these applications requires the development of testing and deployment strategies to ensure the highest level of safety and effectiveness. Historically, safety tests are conducted with glove box mock-ups around the finished design. This late detection of problems leads to expensive redesigns and costly deployment delays. With wide spread availability of computers and cost effective simulation software it is possible to discover and fix problems early in the design stages. Computer simulators can easily create a complete model of the system allowing a safe medium for testing potential failures and design shortcomings. The majority of design specification is now done on computer and moving that information to a model is relatively straightforward. With a complete model and results from a Failure Mode Effect Analysis (FMEA), redesigns can be worked early. Additional issues such as user accessibility, component replacement, and alignment problems can be tackled early in the virtual environment provided by computer simulation. In this case, a commercial simulation package is used to simulate a lathe process operation at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). The Lathe process operation is indicative of most glove box operations and demonstrates the ability and advantages of advance computer based modeling. The three-dimensional model also enables better comprehension of problems to non-technical staff. There are many barriers to the seamless integration between the initial design specifications and a computer simulation. Problems include the lack of a standard model and inexact manufacturing of components used in the glove box. The benefits and drawbacks are discussed; however, the results are useful.
Keywords	Gloveboxes Computerized simulation Occupational safety Radioactive materials Radiation protection Automation Computer-aided design Materials handling
Source Agency	Technical Information Center Oak Ridge Tennessee
NTIS Subject Category	77I - Reactor Fuels & Fuel Processing 77 - Nuclear Science & Technology 97Q - Selected Studies In Nuclear Technology
Corporate Authors	Los Alamos National Lab., NM.; Department of Energy, Washington, DC.
Document Type	Conference Proceedings
NTIS Issue Number	200125
Contract Number	W-7405-ENG-36