Remote canister level/turntable positioning system

The Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) has recently begun radioactive testing of a liquid-fed, Joule-heated ceramic melter (RLFCM). The design of the RLFCM provides for a glass canister turntable consisting of a three-position, motor-driven carousel located within a containment vessel. This containment vessel is coupled directly to the overflow section of the RLFCM, and as such, provides a vacuum seal for the melter. Since the glass-receiving canisters are totally contained within the turntable encloser, remote contactless microprocessor-controlled methods have been developed to establish the elevation and extent of canister glass fill as well as turntable positioning of canisters beneath the RLFCM. This paper describes hardware design, system control modes, and operational experiences associated with the PNL canister level/turntable positioning system.