Semiportable load-cell-based weighing system prototype of 18.14-metric-ton (20-ton) capacity for UF6 cyclinder weight verifications: description and testing procedure

The 18.14-metric-ton-capacity (20-ton) Load-Cell-Based Weighing System (LCBWS) prototype scheduled to be tested at the Oak Ridge (Tennessee) Gaseous Diffusion Plant March 20-27, 1984, is semiportable and has the potential for being highly accurate. Designed by Brookhaven National Laboratory, it can be moved to cylinders for weighing as opposed to the widely used operating philosophy of most enrichment facilities of moving cylinders to stationary accountability scales. Composed mainly of commercially available, off-the-shelf hardware, the system's principal elements are two load cells that sense the weight (i.e., force) of a uranium hexafluoride (UF6) cylinder suspended from the LCBWS while the cylinder is in the process of being weighed. Portability is achieved by its attachment to a double-hook, overhead-bridge crane. The LCBWS prototype is designed to weigh 9.07- and 12.70-metric ton (10- and 14-ton) UF6 cylinders. A detailed description of the LCBWS is given, design information and criteria are supplied, and testing procedures are outlined. A major objective of the testing is to determine the reliability and accuracy of the system. Other testing objectives include the identification of: (1) potential areas for system improvements; and (2) procedural modifications that will reflect an improved and more efficient system. Testing procedures described include, but are not limited to, methods that account for the temperature sensitivity of the instrumentation, the local variation in the acceleration due to gravity, and buoyancy effects. Operational and safety considerations are noted. 7 references, 11 figures, 8 tables