Nuclear Filter Technology

Nuclear Filter Technology Innovations Summary
Challenge	Solution
The Department of Homeland Security and DOD needed a way for a single-user to obtain liquid and gas samples safely from suspect containers.	RapidPort Installation System: NFT designed a portable, compact, remote activated system to install sample ports into suspect drums and boxes for sample acquisition.

DOE has thousands of un-vented legacy TRU drums that need to be vented and characterized before shipping to WIPP.	Drum Vent System (DVS): NFT has designed and built four Drum Venting Systems (DVS) to safely vent and characterize drums using a “cold drilling” process. These systems are capable of analyzing Volatile Organic Compounds using GC/Mass Spectrometers meeting WIPP compliant analysis, while installing a WIPP/DOT 7A approved HEPA filter.

Hanford needed to vent thousands of high risk drums before they could be safely moved from burial trenches.	Mobile Drum Vent System (mDVS): NFT designed and built a mobile drum venting system capable of moving to various locations within the burial grounds to vent and analyze headspace gas of TRU waste drums.

Hanford needed to vent and move thousands of high-risk, un-vented drums safely.	Pneumatic Driver System: NFT invented a system that remotely installs a filter vent or sample port safely into un-vented drums, ensuring operator safety. Currently, these systems are used at Hanford, SRS, LANL, NTS, INEEL and Oak Ridge.

Drums that had an existing drum vent filter could not be sampled without taking the filter off and replacing it with a new filter.	Direct Sample Filter: NFT invented the NucFil-019DS to provide hydrogen diffusivity plus allow drum headspace gas sampling through a sample port without removing the filter.

LANL needed to upgrade its plutonium storage canisters.	Nuclear Material Containers: NFT invented a highly sophisticated line of stainless steel containers providing interchangeable screw top lids complete with HEPA filters. LANL now uses these products for their Plutonium Storage System.

LANL wanted to reduce operator exposure while handling containers of Pu-239.	Shielding: NFT invented a lead-free Pewter radiation shielding overpack system to fit each size of Nuclear Material Container for fast, safe and reliable contact handled transportation.

Rocky Flats had to drain tanks of a highly radioactive liquid concoction and needed a safe form of short term storage for transportation.	Poly Bottle Ventilation Caps: NFT invented a cap providing safe ventilation of hydrogen and other gases generated in liquids that contain dissolved plutonium or uranium, while preventing liquid release if a bottle is inadvertently tipped over. These caps enabled Rocky Flats to successfully remediate the building which posed the radioactive liquid problem.
High activity TRU-waste drums must be repackaged before shipping because of potentially high hydrogen content.	Gas Generation Bell Jars: NFT invented a system that provides safe testing of TRU waste drums to determine TRUPACT-II shipping status. Tests show that approximately 90% of drums tested did not need repackaging before shipping, saving more than $35 million at Rocky Flats over two years.
The amount of waste that can be packaged into one bag is severely limited by the potential of hydrogen build-up.	HEPA Filtered Bags: NFT invented HEPA filtered waste bags to provide increased nuclear material loading in each package, saving Rocky Flats alone an estimated $40 million in waste management and disposal over a two-year time period. NFT is presently supplying HEPA Filtered Bags to DOE sites in the United States as well as the United Kingdom and France.
Long lead times required for procuring manufacturing services for prototypes increased cost and delayed introduction of innovative solutions.	Computer-Numeric-Controlled Equipment: NFT expanded its fabrication and assembly facility and installed high-capacity multi-functional CNC lathes and mills.
Los Alamos National Laboratory was in need of a specialized HEPA filter for their Plutonium Facility.	In-Line Filter: NFT designed an all metal HEPA filter that met fire codes while reducing maintenance costs due to contamination being contained in disposable filter cartridges.
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory needed to measure hydrogen diffusion rates of various polymeric materials.	Hydrogen Testing: NFT developed test methodology and procedures to provide dependable, repeatable test results for hydrogen diffusion rates of various materials.
Environmental Project Managers need rapid turnaround and real time status of analytical samples.	TRACKER: NFT developed a web-based proprietary software, TRACKER, allowing managers real time data, best value analysis of bids and the ability to electronically procure laboratory services.