Characterization of Oversized Crates containing Nuclear Waste

The 212-N Building at the Hanford Site held fifteen large crates containing glove boxes and process equipment associated with the development and fabrication of mixed oxide (MOX) fuel. The gloveboxes and associated equipment originated from the 308 Building of the Hanford Site and had been placed in the crates after a process upset in the 1960s. The crates were transported to the 212-N Building and had been in storage since 1972. In an effort to reduce the hazard categorization of 212-N the crates were removed from the building and Nondestructive Assay (NDA) was performed to characterize the crate contents meeting both Safeguards and Waste Management interests. A measurement system consisting of four configurable neutron slab detectors and high purity germanium (HPGe) detectors was deployed. Since no viable information regarding the waste matrix and configuration was available it was essential to correct for attenuation with a series of transmission measurements using californium and europium sources for both neutron and gamma applications. The gamma and neutron results obtained during this measurement campaign are compared and discussed in the paper.