EM Update | Vol. 10, Issue 16 | April 24, 2018

• HAMMER Steering Committee Brings Leaders Together
• SRS Workers to Install Technology to Speed Tank Waste Removal
• Hanford Occupational Medical Contractor Earns Nearly 92 Percent of Fee for FY17
• Powering Up to Support Tank Waste Treatment at Hanford
• SRS Celebrates Ten Years of Interim Salt Waste Processing
• Oak Ridge Prepares Final Legacy Transuranic Waste Containers for Disposal
• WIPP Mine Rescue Teams Win Big in Regional Competition
• Community Open House Series Focuses on Portsmouth Site Future Uses
• SRS Earth Day Event Covers Topics From Beekeeping to Tree Planting
• Hanford Site Crew Improves Trail on Earth Day
• West Valley Site Helps Sponsor Area Environmental Competition
• Portsmouth Site Kicks Off Public Tours Season

HAMMER Steering Committee Brings Leaders Together

Paul Dabbar, DOE Under Secretary for Science, center, addresses participants in the semiannual steering committee meeting for the Hanford Site’s Volpentest Hazardous Materials Management and Emergency Response (HAMMER) Federal Training Center.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senior DOE, labor, and contractor leaders participated in the 48th semiannual steering committee meeting for the Hanford Site’s Volpentest Hazardous Materials Management and Emergency Response (HAMMER) Federal Training Center here last week.  

   Members of the committee, a consortium of representatives from federal, Tribal and state governments, labor, local leadership, academia, and industry, discussed the importance of robust and quality worker training at Hanford and across the DOE complex. 

   “The partnership between the Tri-City community, embodied by the unions and HAMMER with the Department and our ongoing mission, is the strongest of any place across the complex,” said Paul Dabbar, DOE Under Secretary for Science, expressing his appreciation for HAMMER’s unique peer-to-peer training model. He acknowledged HAMMER for setting a standard for training and safety that has been applicable across the EM complex. 

   Sean McGarvey, president of North America’s Building Trades Unions, pledged that his organization would continue to work with DOE to help HAMMER carry out its mission. 

   Managed by Hanford site services contractor Mission Support Alliance, the center provides worker safety and health and emergency response training for the EM cleanup mission.

   As cleanup progresses at Hanford, work to address aging facilities and infrastructure is becoming more complex and challenging, making HAMMER’s training and expertise critical to ensure worker safety, according to EM Richland Operations Office Manager Doug Shoop. The need to continue providing high-quality training at HAMMER and maintain and expand the facility was also discussed.

-Contributor: Rae Moss

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SRS Workers to Install Technology to Speed Tank Waste Removal

Savannah River Remediation workers prep the process enclosure foundation for Tank Closure Cesium Removal at the Savannah River Site’s H Tank Farm.

AIKEN, S.C. – Crews are installing a new technology to remove radioactive waste from underground tanks at the Savannah River Site (SRS).

   The innovative technology, called Tank Closure Cesium Removal (TCCR), will remove cesium, a highly radioactive chemical element, from the Cold War legacy salt waste at SRS, accelerating waste removal and tank closure.

   The technology’s ion exchange process, within a self-shielded, self-contained column, pulls cesium from the waste, reducing risk to workers, the community, and the environment. Commercial vendors have demonstrated success using an ion exchange process to remove cesium from similar waste.

   The TCCR process modules are being deployed in the site’s H Tank Farm near Tanks 10 and 11. The waste from Tank 10 will pass through the process, including a pre-filter and multiple ion exchange columns. The waste stream is treated with an engineered resin inside the ion exchange column to take out the cesium. The cesium-rich resin and ion exchange column will then be sent to an interim safe storage area and maintained for future disposal. The decontaminated discharge will be directed to Tank 11 and eventually to the Saltstone Production Facility for disposal. 

   As a supplemental at-tank deployment, TCCR will have the capability to remove 100,000 curies — a measure of radioactivity — from the Tank 10 waste. It could accelerate tank closure at SRS by providing an additional capability to remove cesium from stored waste. High-level waste constituents such as cesium must be removed from the tanks before they can be operationally closed and removed from service. 

   Westinghouse Electric Company and Columbia Energy and Environmental Services completed the design, fabrication, assembly, and factory testing of TCCR equipment offsite. 

   SRS liquid waste contractor Savannah River Remediation (SRR) leads the onsite installation process. Site prep includes attachment of utilities, transfer lines, and monitoring communications to the delivered TCCR unit. SRR is conducting the safety analysis associated with the technology. The analysis ensures the process will operate in a safe, predictable manner that protects workers, the public, and the environment.

Workers begin installing the lower enclosure of the Tank Closure Cesium Removal module near Tanks 10 and 11 in H Tank Farm.

   EM’s Savannah River National Laboratory provided laboratory analysis, technical expertise, and years of technology research and development on the ion exchange and resin technology.

   Cesium’s hazardous and volatile characteristics makes it a top priority to be removed from tank waste, said Jim Folk, DOE-Savannah River Assistant Manager for Waste Disposition.

   “This new Tank Closure Cesium Removal method is primed to be a key opportunity to supplement our waste remediation capability,” Folk said. “If proven successful, it will provide an additional process to remove cesium, ultimately accelerating the pace of tank closure work.”

   After completing installation, testing, and readiness for startup, TCCR demonstration operations are expected to begin late 2018.

-Contributor: Colleen Hart

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Hanford Occupational Medical Contractor Earns Nearly 92 Percent of Fee for FY17

RICHLAND, Wash. – EM’s Richland Operations Office awarded HPM Corporation (HPMC) nearly 92 percent of the available fee for the occupational medical services contractor for fiscal year 2017, which equates to $311,950 of a possible $340,000.

   The contractor exceeded the majority of performance goals and objectives for the performance period, according to the fee determination summary. 

   EM releases information relating to contractor fee payments — earned by completing the work called for in the contracts — to further transparency in its cleanup program.

   According to the summary, HPMC’s achievements include:

• Continued superior worker health and well-being support for the Hanford Site;
• Increased customer and patient satisfaction; and
• Proactive coordination to maximize scheduling opportunities while minimizing lost work time, which supports the site’s contractors and increases efficient site operations.

   The summary identified no significant deficiencies, but areas for continued improvement include a contractor business system and communication with the workforce.

   View the scorecard here. 

-Contributor: Kristen Holmes

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Powering Up to Support Tank Waste Treatment at Hanford

An employee with EM Office of River Protection contractor Bechtel National, Inc. checks an electrical panel in Low-Activity Switchgear Building 24.

RICHLAND, Wash. – Startup activities at the EM Office of River Protection’s (ORP) Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) received a boost when permanent power was supplied to the Low-Activity Waste (LAW) Facility’s switchgear building last month. 

   ORP contractor Bechtel National, Inc. (BNI) energized the main LAW Facility switchgear and transformers. Electrical power will be sent sequentially to the lower voltage motor control centers and panels throughout the facility as startup testing of electrical systems occurs over the next several months.

   The LAW Facility is key to achieving the Direct Feed Low-Activity Waste (DFLAW) approach to tank waste treatment in advance of the court-ordered milestone date of 2023. 

   “Providing permanent power to the facility is a significant accomplishment and marks a change in methodology at the LAW Facility,” said Roy Tyrie, WTP startup director for BNI. “It’s symbolic of a change from construction to startup and kicks off a waterfall of startup work in the LAW, including testing the permanent plant equipment in the facility.”

Permanent electrical power energizes the Low-Activity Waste (LAW) Facility’s switchgear building. Electrical power will be sent to lower voltage motor control centers and panels in the LAW Facility as startup testing of electrical systems occurs over the next several months.

   The LAW Facility is on track to reach physical plant completion in 2018. When fully operational, the facility will annually produce approximately 1,100 containers of vitrified low-activity waste from Hanford’s underground storage tanks.

   “ORP is encouraged by continued progress at WTP,” said Wahed Abdul, ORP federal project director for low-activity waste. “Energization of the LAW Facility is one more key step toward beginning treatment of Hanford’s tank waste.”

-Contributor: Ian Klei

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SRS Celebrates Ten Years of Interim Salt Waste Processing

AIKEN, S.C. – This month marks the 10th anniversary of radioactive operations for the Actinide Removal Process/Modular Caustic Side Solvent Extraction Unit (ARP/MCU) facilities, a duo that has played a significant role in six high-level waste tank closures at the Savannah River Site (SRS). 

   ARP and MCU, coupled as the interim salt waste processing program, are key players in the mission of dispositioning the salt waste in liquid waste operations at SRS. The set of salt-decontamination facilities work as an integrated system to remove nearly all of the radioactive isotopes from the salt waste portion of the radioactive waste in storage tanks.

   The radioactive isotopes removed by ARP/MCU are primarily cesium, strontium, and actinides. These isotopes are transferred to the Defense Waste Processing Facility, where they are blended with a borosilicate frit and melted to form a molten glass mixture that is poured into stainless steel canisters. The filled canisters are safely stored at SRS awaiting permanent storage. 

   The remaining decontaminated salt solution from salt waste processing is transferred to the Saltstone Production Facility (SPF) for disposition in the Saltstone Disposal Units.

   Jim Folk, DOE-Savannah River Assistant Manager for Waste Disposition, said the ARP/MCU facilities have proven effective for the past 10 years. 

   “Processing salt waste is essential for SRS and our mission to close high-level waste tanks,” Folk said. 

   Nearly 7 million gallons of salt waste have been processed through ARP/MCU since April 2008.

   ARP/MCU will continue processing salt waste until the Salt Waste Processing Facility (SWPF) at SRS begins radioactive operations, which will increase current salt processing nearly seven-fold.

   SRS has improved the ARP and MCU facilities to prepare for eventual SWPF operations.    Liquid waste engineers replaced a solvent used in the ARP/MCU process with one that removes more cesium from the salt waste, providing a lower-curie cesium waste stream to the SPF. Fewer curies means less radioactive material is permanently stored onsite.

   Tom Foster, SRR president and project manager, praised the work by liquid waste engineers since startup of the interim facilities.

   “The engineers and operational staff have done an incredible job spanning 10 years of successful operations and innovations at the ARP/MCU facilities,” Foster said. 

-Contributor: Maddie Blair

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Oak Ridge Prepares Final Legacy Transuranic Waste Containers for Disposal

An aerial view of the Transuranic Waste Processing Center in Oak Ridge, where the final drums of legacy transuranic waste stored at Oak Ridge National Laboratory will be processed before shipment to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant for permanent disposal.

OAK RIDGE, Tenn. – DOE’s Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management (OREM) recently completed installing vents and sample ports in the final drums of legacy transuranic waste stored at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). This decade-long effort ensures the drums do not contain any hazardous gases that could cause rapid combustion. 

   The closed, explosion-proof, high-efficiency particulate air-ventilated unit where the drums were vented was capable of withstanding a combustion event while keeping workers and the nation’s largest multi-program national laboratory safe.  

   “Venting and sampling these drums is an essential part of the waste disposal process,” ORNL Portfolio Federal Project Director Bill McMillan said. “Now that we can ensure the safety of each drum, they are ready for transport to the Transuranic Waste Processing Center (TWPC) for processing and subsequent shipment to a permanent disposal facility away from Oak Ridge.”

Workers prepare to install vents in drums of legacy transuranic waste in a closed, explosion-proof, high-efficiency particulate air-ventilated unit to ensure safety of workers and the environment.

   Workers placed the drums in the reinforced unit and installed vents and sample ports remotely. The ports allowed staff to determine if hydrogen existed in the drums. If high levels were detected, crews moved those drums to a hydrogen diffusion area for monitoring until the levels naturally reached safe limits. 

   Past ORNL operations generated a large volume of transuranic waste over the decades. Workers placed the waste in containers and stored them in underground vaults and warehouses awaiting eventual disposition. While newly generated waste is placed in vented containers, the legacy containers were designed differently, prompting the installation of drum vents and sample ports.

   More than 4,000 containers have gone through the venting process in Oak Ridge since 2005. Only 67 containers remained to install vents in the most recent campaign. OREM and its cleanup contractor, URS | CH2M Oak Ridge, retrieved them from an underground storage vault last fall.

   Much of the transuranic waste, which is contaminated with elements heavier than uranium, is composed of items such as beakers, gloves, and other lab equipment. 

   After crews process the drums at the TWPC, they will eventually be transported to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant near Carlsbad, New Mexico for final disposal.

-Contributors: Wayne McKinney, Ben Williams

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WIPP Mine Rescue Teams Win Big in Regional Competition

Waste Isolation Pilot Plant Blue Team members discuss a scenario during the mine rescue team competition.

CARLSBAD, N.M. – EM’s Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) mine rescue teams won first place in several categories of the recent Southwest Regional Mine Rescue competition in Carlsbad. 

   The WIPP Red Team took first place in the overall competition and in the field and first-aid battles. The WIPP Blue Team took third place in the field competition. Both teams tied in the team technician portion of the contest with the Red Team winning in a time-based tiebreaker. WIPP team trainer Richard “Stik” West was awarded first place in the team trainer competition. The Blue Team is the defending Mine Rescue National Champions.

   “We are extremely proud of our mine rescue teams.” said Bruce Covert, president and project manager for Nuclear Waste Partnership, the WIPP management and operations contractor. “It’s comforting to know that these professionals are well trained and ready to jump in to help if we have an underground emergency.”

Waste Isolation Pilot Plant Red Team member Mark Long Jr. demonstrates gas detection techniques at the mine rescue team competition.

Waste Isolation Pilot Plant Red Team members study the mine map during the mine rescue team competition.

   The first-aid portion involved finding, treating, and rescuing trapped or injured individuals. The field portion consisted of exploring a simulated mine, monitoring the underground air for gases, mapping the mine to keep members informed of obstacles and routes, rescuing survivors, and reestablishing ventilation. Another part of the competition was to maintain a fresh air base that serves as a communication and command center for the team. The teams’ performance supports the continued commitment by mine rescue individuals to ensure emergency preparedness capabilities at the WIPP facility. 

   At WIPP and most other mines, employees serve on the mine rescue teams as volunteers. The teams are composed of hoisting supervisors, mechanics, waste handlers, mining operators, and other occupations. Teams practice and prepare for the day they are called to a real emergency. These volunteers devote countless hours honing their skills before and after work.

   Mine rescue teams participate in several competitions each year to sharpen their skills, share lessons learned, and continually raise the level of mine safety. In real emergencies, the lives of mine rescue team members and their coworkers depend on the proficiency of each individual’s skill and training. 

   Red Team members included Ty Zimmerly, Lance Turnbow, Mathew Carnathan, Mathew Ridgeway, Mark Long, Hank Miller, and Tony Mihelic. Blue Team members included Misty Long, Manny Marquez, Jeff Ortega, Nico Dominguez, Robert Lucas, Ed Keyser, Gary Kessler, and Colton Ridgeway.

-Contributor: Khushroo Ghadiali

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Community Open House Series Focuses on Portsmouth Site Future Uses

PIKETON, Ohio – Dr. Jason Lovins with deactivation and decommissioning contractor Fluor-BWXT (left) discusses future use of EM’s Portsmouth Site with Portsmouth Mayor Kevin Johnson last week at a community open house in Scioto County, Ohio. Another public event was held in Pike County and similarly included representatives of EM’s Portsmouth/Paducah Project Office, the Portsmouth Site Specific Advisory Board, Ohio University, and the Southern Ohio Diversification Initiative (SODI). SODI is the reuse organization for the four-county region. The third and fourth open houses are being held this week in Ross and Jackson counties.

-Contributor: Michelle Teeters

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SRS Earth Day Event Covers Topics From Beekeeping to Tree Planting

AIKEN, S.C. – About 600 Savannah River Site (SRS) federal and contractor employees marked Earth Day recently by gathering to learn about a range of environmental topics at the SRS Training Facility. Employees received young pine trees courtesy of the U.S. Forest Service – Savannah River as representatives discussed the importance of planting trees. Clemson University employees focused on environment-friendly gardening. The Savannah River Ecology Laboratory and South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control shared information about pollinators and beekeeping. Other event booths dealt with stormwater management and resourceful food consumption to reduce household waste. “This year’s Earth Day celebration was a successful collaboration between SRS and community organizations. Employees were able to take away information that can be implemented in their daily lives to make a meaningful improvement in their environmental impact,” said Kim Cauthen, Earth Day coordinator for Savannah River Nuclear Solutions, the site’s management and operations coordinator. Here, George Pearson, SRS retiree and beekeeper with the Aiken Bee Keepers Association, talks to SRS employees about the benefits of beekeeping.

-Contributor: Angela Benfield

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Hanford Site Crew Improves Trail on Earth Day

RICHLAND, Wash. – More than 20 volunteers from Hanford site services contractor Mission Support Alliance worked with the Tapteal Greenway Association in West Richland, Wash., near the Hanford Site, to help reestablish about 1,000 feet of trail near a bustling residential development to mark Earth Day, which is celebrated April 22. The work included grading and smoothing the trail; bringing in rocks by hand to be placed along the edge of the trail; and placing a short timber crib wall to raise the level of the trail across a small gully. 

“It was hard work, but rewarding to see how that portion of the trail looked afterwards. I love knowing that we made a positive impact on our environment and created a recreational opportunity for our community,” said employee Michelle Rehberg.

-Contributor: Renee Brooks

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West Valley Site Helps Sponsor Area Environmental Competition

Envirothon participants examine a soil profile at the soils testing station during the competition.

WEST VALLEY, N.Y. – EM West Valley Demonstration Project (WVDP) cleanup contractor CH2M HILL BWXT West Valley (CHBWV) is a sponsor of a local outdoor environmental competition for students on April 25 that emphasizes teamwork while testing knowledge in areas such as aquatic ecology, forestry, soils and land use, and wildlife.

   “Competitions like this help students to further their skills and become more environmentally aware adults,” EM WVDP Director Bryan Bower said. “It’s important that we engage students early in their education, and get them interested in the sciences.”

   Ten teams, each with five area high school students, will participate in the Cattaraugus County Envirothon, which is organized by the Cattaraugus County Soil and Water Conservation District. They complete exams at five stations, where they identify various species of trees, wildlife, and fish on display; answer specific questions about habitat and other environmental-related issues; and give oral presentations.

   The team with the highest score wins, and goes on to compete in the New York State Envirothon, where a champion team is chosen for the North American Envirothon. 

   “We are glad to be a part of this environmental learning competition,” CHBWV President and General Manager Jeff Bradford said. “Friendly competition stimulates students’ interest and learning to become the future stewards of our environment.”

   Employees from CHBWV will volunteer at the event. 

   First held in 1979, the Envirothon is the largest conservation education program in North America and encourages student interest in natural resource conservation and environmental issues.

-Contributor: Joseph Pillittere

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Portsmouth Site Kicks Off Public Tours Season

PIKETON, Ohio – Participants in the first monthly seasonal public site tour of 2018 at EM's former Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant wave farewell Saturday at the end of their visit. Among them were three former workers from the earliest days of the uranium enrichment plant in the 1950s. The oldest among them, Gene Marsh (center), turns 90 next month.

-Contributor: Jason Lovins

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