Forthcoming Revision to the Department of Energy Tritium Handling and Safe Storage Guide

Once every five years, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) requires, via DOE Order (O) 252.1A, Technical Standards Program, that each of its Standards and Handbooks undergo a maintenance review (also known as “sunset reviews”). There are three possible outcomes of a maintenance review:  (1) reaffirmation as current, accurate, and of continuing value to the Department; (2) revision to be current, accurate, and of continuing value; or (3) cancellation. DOE-HDBK-1129-2008, Tritium Handling and Safe Storage, is following option (2) above; the required justification of continuing value was demonstrated by a lack of comparable technical breadth and depth available in other publications. This paper gives an overview of the updates that the Tritium Handling and Safe Storage Guide will undergo. It is expected that the update will be completed in early 2014.