Upgraded Fuels and Materials Hot Cell Facilities at the Chalk River Nuc l ea r Labora to r ies

Abstract

Over the past several years, Chalk River's Fuels and Materials Hot Cell Facility has undergone a major refurbishment program to increase and upgrade its shielded facilities. Metallographic and destructive examination capabilities were enlarged to cope with the demands of the CANDU pressure tube surveillance program and increases in commercial fuel examination work. Shielded work space was increased through the addition of a suite of blister cells to house the optical microscopes, and construction of a shielded enclosure for the new scanning electron microscope and X-ray analyzers. These and other improvements which are contributing to a safer and more efficient facility operation are described in the report.