The Air Force Nuclear Engineering Center Structural Activation and Integrity Evaluation
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate three areas; the entombed radioactivity of the Air Force Nuclear Engineering Center (AFNEC) Test Facility located in Area B, Building 470, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, the integrity of the materials incased in the concrete to determine if they would be susceptible to corrosion or deterioration, and the comparison of cost of dismantlement of the existing facility or continued surveillance of the existing facility. The ORIGEN2 computer code was used to calculate an upper bound of radioactivity entombed within AFNEC. The initial calculated activity, 2,460,000 Curies, has decayed by three orders of magnitude since the cessation of operation (20 years later - 1,560 Curies). The activated structural components consisted of 5 distinct materials; aluminum, stainless steel, carbon steel, lead, and concrete. Of these materials, aluminum dominated the initial radioactivity with nearly 60% of the total activity attributed to it. The carbon steel became the dominant contributor to the total radioactivity with over 50% of the total activity at 20 years after shutdown. Keywords: Nuclear reactors, Entombed reactors, Neutron activation, Theses, Radioactivity, Structural, Materials, Military facilities.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 01, 1990
- Accession Number
- ADA220132
Entities
People
- William A. Lamb
Organizations
- Air Force Institute of Technology