X-342A Feed, Vaporization, and Fluorine Generation Facility
X-342B Fluorine Storage Building
The X-342A Feed, Vaporization, and Fluorine Generation Facility and the X-342B Fluorine Storage Building were designed and built by the Peter Kiewit Sons’ Construction Company. The X-342A is used to process cylinder heels. It is equipped with steam autoclaves to heat the parent cylinders and cold boxes to keep the receiving cylinders cooled for more efficient transfer operations.
The X-342B is still used as the fluorine-storage facility. Previously, the X-342A Feed, Vaporization, and Fluorine Generation Facility heated and fed uranium for the PORTS enrichment cascade until the X-344A uranium hexafluoride (UF6) Sampling Facility and the X-343 Feed, Vaporization, and Sampling Facility took over these operations.
Fluorine was generated in the X-342A facility by the electrolysis of anhydrous hydrogen fluoride (HF). The HF was supplied to the building from storage facilities via piping or in steel cylinders. Once generated, the fluorine was piped to the various plant facilities or stored in cylinders for miscellaneous uses. A portion of the by-product or carry-over was salvaged and recycled, and the balance vented to the atmosphere or disposed of by neutralization and discharged to the storm-sewer system. Upon completion of the X-343 in 1982, the X-342A was renovated by installing two autoclaves, one cold trap system, one 18,000-kg scale, and piping to connect to autoclaves in the X-344A building and feed headers. The X-342A last served as a backup to X-343 and X-344A for the feed, vaporization, and sampling of UF6.
Construction
1954
Building Size
The X-342A Feed, Vaporization, and Fluorine Generation Facility is 14,300 square feet and X-342B Fluorine Storage Building is 1,525 square feet in size.
