NSTXNSTX NSTX Team Meeting Jan. 3, 2013

NSTX Team Meeting

Jan. 3, 2013

Culham Sci CtrU St. Andrews

York UChubu UFukui U

Hiroshima UHyogo UKyoto U

Kyushu UKyushu Tokai U

NIFSNiigata UU Tokyo

JAEAHebrew UIoffe Inst

RRC Kurchatov InstTRINITI

NFRIKAIST

POSTECHSeoul National U

ASIPPENEA, Frascati

CEA, CadaracheIPP, Jülich

IPP, GarchingASCR, Czech Rep

Columbia UCompXGeneral AtomicsFIUINLJohns Hopkins ULANLLLNLLodestarMITNova PhotonicsNew York UORNLPPPLPrinceton UPurdue USNLThink Tank, Inc.UC DavisUC IrvineUCLAUCSDU ColoradoU IllinoisU MarylandU RochesterU WashingtonU Wisconsin

NSTX-UNSTX-U Supported by

NSTXNSTX NSTX Team Meeting Jan. 3, 2013 2

Time: 1:00 ~ 2:30, Jan. 3, 2013

Place: LSB 318, PPPL

• General Items (20 minutes)

• Program Item (20 minutes)

• Upgrade Project (25 minutes)

• Facility / Operations (25 minutes)

NSTX Team Meeting Agenda

NSTXNSTX NSTX Team Meeting Jan. 3, 2013 3

• ES&H Issues (J. Levine)

• Follow-up Safety Culture Survey

• Winter is here.

- Drive carefully.

- Be extra careful with slippage. Walk slowly. Wear proper footwear, e.g. boots

- Exercise when you can.

- Please be careful with your back while shoveling the snow!

- Joanne is preparing the emergency (snow) tree. Please send in any changes.

• Lithium Powder Cleanup Incident

Safely, Safely, Safely

NSTXNSTX NSTX Team Meeting Jan. 3, 2013

NSTX Lithium Dropper Incident on August 14, 2012Vacuum cleaner used to collect the unused lithium power

overheated

4

Incident DescriptionNSTX lithium dropper was being cleaned using the all metal vacuum cleaner with fiberglass filter following previously used procedure by NSTX personnel with proper protective equipment. Two industrial hygiene personnel were present with dust mask at proper distance.As the vacuum clean up was finished, a plume of smoke emanated from the vacuum cleaner. The vacuum cleaner was then turned off and the room evacuated. The main difference was that the amount of lithium to be vacuumed was approximately twice as much as in previous cleanups.

The incident was investigated and a report was issued.Findings of Root Causes:Proper planning would have identified the most appropriate method of lithium passivation and removal, the correct equipment to be used, and the most effective procedure for implementing the plan.R&D into the behavior of stabilized lithium powder under various conditions has been lacking.

Lithium Experts Committee formed with two NSTX members for laboratory wide lithium activities.

R&D on in-situ lithium dropper with liquid lithium being performed.Improved lithium powder cleaning procedure will be developed as needed.