A Review of Criticality Accidents A Review of Criticality Accidents

CONTENTS
FOREWORD .................................................................................................................................. v
PREFACE ..................................................................................................................................... vii
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ............................................................................................................. ix
TABLE OF CONTENTS...............................................................................................................xi
LIST OF FIGURES ...................................................................................................................... xv
LIST OF TABLES ....................................................................................................................... xix
ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................................... 1
INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................... 1
I. PROCESS ACCIDENTS........................................................................................................... 2
A. ACCIDENT DESCRIPTIONS ............................................................................................ 2
1. Mayak Production Association, 15 March 1953 ........................................................... 7
2. Mayak Production Association, 21 April 1957 ............................................................. 9
3. Mayak Production Association, 2 January 1958 ......................................................... 11
4. Oak Ridge Y-12 Plant, 16 June 1958........................................................................... 13
5. Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory, 30 December 1958 ............................................... 16
6. Idaho Chemical Processing Plant, 16 October 1959 ................................................... 18
7. Mayak Production Association, 5 December 1960 ..................................................... 19
8. Idaho Chemical Processing Plant, 25 January 1961 .................................................... 22
9. Siberian Chemical Combine, 14 July 1961 ................................................................. 23
10. Hanford Works, 7 April 1962 ...................................................................................... 27
11. Mayak Production Association, 7 September 1962 ..................................................... 28
12. Siberian Chemical Combine, 30 January 1963 ........................................................... 30
13. Siberian Chemical Combine, 2 December 1963 ......................................................... 31
14. United Nuclear Fuels Recovery Plant, 24 July 1964 ................................................... 33
15. Electrostal Machine Building Plant, 3 November 1965 .............................................. 35
16. Mayak Production Association, 16 December 1965 ................................................... 37
17. Mayak Production Association, 10 December 1968 ................................................... 40
18. Windscale Works, 24 August 1970 .............................................................................. 43
19. Idaho Chemical Processing Plant, 17 October 1978 ................................................... 45
20. Siberian Chemical Combine, 13 December 1978 ....................................................... 47
21. Novosibirsk Chemical Concentration Plant, 15 May 1997 ......................................... 50
22. JCO Fuel Fabrication Plant, 30 September 1999 ........................................................ 53
B. PHYSICAL AND NEUTRONIC CHARACTERISTICS FOR THE PROCESS
FACILITY CRITICALITY ACCIDENTS ........................................................................ 57
Accident Reconstruction.................................................................................................... 57
Geometry ........................................................................................................................... 57
Material.............................................................................................................................. 59
Discussion.......................................................................................................................... 59
Conclusions ....................................................................................................................... 60
Fission Yields ..................................................................................................................... 61
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