OAK RIDGE NATIONAL LABORATORY
Building 3525 - Irradiated Fuels Examination Laboratory
Building 3525, the Irradiated Fuels Examination Laboratory (IFEL), was built in 1963 as hot cell facility for the disassembly and examination of highly radioactive material. Located in the Bethel Valley portion of ORNL, it is a high-level alpha facility used for post irradiation examination (PIE) of nuclear fuels. It has been used for receipt, handling, and testing of irradiated materials (fuel or non-fuel, typically as experimental capsules) in shielded casks; transfer of material into and out of the hot cells; capsule disassembly; nondestructive and destructive testing of irradiated materials; packaging and shipment of irradiated materials (onsite or offsite); waste packaging for disposal; maintenance of remote equipment; and decontamination of the facility and equipment. The facility has also handled iridium isotope processing, mox fuel post-irradiation examination, and spent nuclear fuel repackaging.
The IFEL has a horseshoe-shaped array of hot cells which are divided into three work areas. Beyond the hot cell complex, the lab is divided into the charging area; the equipment maintenance air lock areas; the operating area; the truck unloading area, the change room, and a work room; the rooms housing supporting mechanical equipment; the decontamination area; and the hot equipment storage area. The IFEL also has three on the first and second floors including the Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) cubicle, the Irradiated Microsphere Gamma Analyzer (IMGA) cubicle, and the Core Conduction Cooldown Test Facility (CCCTF) cubicle. ORNL planned to upgrade the hot cells to allow the handling and examination of full length LWR fuel rods by Spring 2005.
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