Accelerator Handbook

TRITIUM EMERGENCY PROCEDURES (The definitive copy of this procedure is in the Radiation Safety Handbook. This wiki page is only for quick reference.)

1. If a leak of tritium gas from the cell or the tritium gas handling system to the target room or vault at large should occur, or with any indication of a possible leak from the tritium sniffer or the tritium cell pressure gauge:
   1. Evacuate the involved room immediately and close door.
   2. Turn on exhaust ventilation fan for that area. Controls are located on the cable tray in the control room near the cable pass-thru to the small target room.
   3. Immediately notify the Radiation Safety Officer, TALC Chairman, and the Tritium Safety Officer – phone numbers are posted in the control room.
   4. All people should remain in the accelerator laboratory area until the people in (1)(III) above arrive.
   5. Record immediately:
      1. amount of tritium lost,
      2. individuals possibly exposed,
      3. length of time of exposure for each individual,
      4. approximate location of each person who might have been exposed from the time of rupture until leaving the target room, and finally,
      5. the sequence of events leading up to the indication of leakage.
   6. Do not re-enter the large target room or vault under any circumstance until assured by the Radiation Safety Officer that it is safe.
   7. Resumption of the experiment or any further experiments using a tritium cell should be postponed until a full critique of the gas release is completed.
2. If a slow leak of tritium gas from the cell to the accelerator vacuum system should occur as evidenced by a) bad vacuum on the beam leg–with possible automatic closing of the pneumatically operated gate valves and b) a gradual decrease of the tritium pressure in the cell below 14 psi, then:
   1. Check tritium monitor.
   2. If it reads in excess of 50 μCi/m3 follow procedures in (1) above.
   3. If reading is less than 50 μCi/m3:
      1. Turn on the exhaust ventilation fan for the involved area.
      2. Enter target room and close hand operated gate valve.
      3. Open the two valves between the gas cell and the tritium furnace to allow the tritium gas remaining in the cell to be reabsorbed by the uranium furnace.
      4. Proceed with steps (1)(I) to (1)(VII) above.
3. If a large leak of tritium gas from the cell to the accelerator vacuum system should occur as evidence by a) automatic closing of the pneumatically operated gate valves and/or b) a tritium pressure gauge reading of O psi:
   1. Proceed with steps (1)(I) to (1)(VII) above.
4. If the tritium monitor reading should exceed 10 μCi/m3 for an extended period of time (3-4 hours) during the course of a run, the experiment should be temporarily suspended and the source of the high reading ascertained. The TALC Chairman and Radiation Safety Officer and Tritium Safety Officer should be notified and the experiment resumed only if approved by them.

NOTE: The maximum permissible concentration of tritium in air for normal working conditions (40 hrs/wk) as specified by regulation is 5 μCi/m3.