Air-tighten test for used glove boxes

Kashiro, Kashio; Matsumoto, Masaki

All of the glove boxes in Plutonium Fuel Fabrication facilities are operated after confirming their condition by conducting negative pressure maintenance test and air-tighten test. Although we check the negative pressure maintenance condition before operating glove boxes in a daily basis, we have not been conducted the air-tighten test. Hence, we have conducted air-tighten test using the glove box that will be dismantled in the near future. In order to compare the present data to the criteria of licensing and to the measurement data for new glove box, the test was conducted by leak tightness vessel which is used the competent authority's test for newly constructed equipments. We also have confirmed the leakage condition in case failure of keeping negative pressure. The main results are as follows. (1)No leakage was detected after leaving the glove box 21 days in case failure of keeping negative pressure condition. (2)The measurement result of the air-tighten test was 0.025 vol%/h, and it was confirmed that this result is within the range of licensing criteria (-0.040.06 vol%/h). (3)The measurement result was also within the error of leak tightness vessel, and it was confirmed that the air-tighten condition was in force within this past 10 years after installing this glove box (the corresponding value for used the competent authority test for newly constructed equipments was 0.019 vol%/h).