Vacuum technologies developed for at-400A Type B transportation and storage package

The AT-400A TYPE B transportation and storage container will be used at Pantex Plant for the transportation and interim storage of plutonium pits. The AT-400A was designed by a joint effort between Sandia National Labs, Los Alamos National Labs, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and Mason and Hanger-Silas Mason Co., Inc. In order to meet the requirements for transportation and storage, five different vacuum technologies had to be developed. The goals of the various vacuum technologies were to verify the plutonium pit was sealed, perform the assembly verification leak check in accordance with ANSI N-14.5 and to provide a final inert gas backfill in the containment vessel. This paper will discuss the following five vacuum technologies: (1) Pit Leak Testing, (2) Containment Vessel Purge and Backfill with tracer gas, (3) Containment Vessel Leak Testing, (4) Containment Vessel Purge and Final Backfill, and (5) Leak Testing of the Containment Vessel Gas Transfer tube