Published: 1995
Total Pages: 24
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Data Quality Objectives (DQOS) for gas and liquid sampling from the sealed canisters in K West Basin have been developed and are presented in this document. The scope of this document is limited primarily to the initial sampling effort. This sampling campaign either supports the selection of canisters to provide fuel for hotcell examinations, supports the demonstration of sampling equipment capabilities or provides an initial assessment of gas/liquid chemistry for comparison to the results of fuel element hotcell examinations. No sampling of canisters has occurred since 1983. It is proposed here that samples of gas and water be analyzed for constituents such as cesium, fission gases, and hydrogen which are markers for corrosion of uranium in a water environment. These data will allow an assessment of the risks involved when particular canisters are opened to retrieve fuel. This sampling campaign will also ensure that canisters with some failed fuel elements are included in the population that is opened for retrieval of fuel for hotcell examinations. Additionally, valuable correlations between the macroscopic visible condition of fuel, hotcell examinations, and the gases generated in canisters will be possible. The analysis of other chemical species in the gas and liquid will allow assessments of the performance of the previously added corrosion inhibitor and possibly assessments of radiolysis. Sampling of canisters will be performed with equipment that opens the valves in the canister lid and draws a 15 ml sample of either gas or water. This work will most likely be performed in one of the pits-associated with the K West Basin.